


Balancing the Scales

by ira_fae



Series: Balancing the Scales [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Blackmail, Character Death, Dark, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Eventual Happy Ending, Evil Oikawa Tooru, Gore, Horror, Implied/Referenced Torture, Imprisonment, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Manga Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Pro Volleyball Player Hinata Shouyou, Pro Volleyball Player Kageyama Tobio, Pro Volleyball Player Tsukishima Kei, Sort of happy ending, Stalking, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:27:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27608306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ira_fae/pseuds/ira_fae
Summary: Hinata Shoyō has it all. He is happy with where his life is. He is happy with his job, his relationship, his friends. But when his boyfriend, Kageyama Tobio doesn't come home one night Hinata's life changes for the worst.Oikawa Tōru has nothing. He is unhappy with where his life is. He doesn't have the job he wanted, he doesn't have a happy relationship, his friends have dwindled down to almost zero. It's all in shambles and he's going to do something about it.Oikawa has to go back to the source of his issues. He has to go back to where the cosmic scales were unbalanced and fix it. How far will he go to do that?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Series: Balancing the Scales [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113431
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	1. Watch Me Make 'Em Bow

**Author's Note:**

> I think I've tagged everything but please let me know if there's something I've missed. And, please, heed the tags. I put them there for a reason. This story isn't meant to be a happy one, know that going in.

In a quiet, modest apartment in Tokyo, Hinata Shōyō whistles as he dances around in front of his washer and dryer. The little timer on the dryer ticks down and Hinata bounces from one foot to the other in time with the countdown. He hums excitedly, waiting for the little beep song that the dryer plays. And finally-

Hinata wiggles along to the cheery tune, grinning widely. 

He pops open the dryer door and starts pulling out clothes. He continues dancing, singing a little song as he lays the clothes out flat on the top of the washer. 

“Shirt, shirt, shirt! Smooth out my shirt,” he hums along, occasionally singing words but mostly just making up a song as he works. This is the last load of the night. 

Hinata likes the routine he’s created for himself and his boyfriend, Kageyama Tobio. They both had their last tournament game of volleyball in late May. And they both got the whole month of June for vacation. Despite being on vacation the two of them have both been going to unofficial practices and training sessions with their separate teams. Hinata proudly bears the logo of the Black Jackals, while Kageyama dons the logo of the Schweiden Adlers. 

But, during their vacation, Hinata had created a little chart of chores and duties. He grins at the pair of pants he’s pulling out of the dryer as he remembers showing it to Kageyama. 

_ “What do you think, Tobio?” he asked, eyes fixed proudly on the chart. It hung on the back of their front door, bright and organized. Kageyama had wrapped his arms around Hinata’s waist, rested his chin on his shoulder, and kissed his cheek.  _

_ “I think… the number of times I’m supposed to cook is not proportional to the number of times you’re supposed to cook, Sho’.”  _

_ Hinata had rolled his eyes, “Do you really want me to cook more than that?”  _

_ Kageyama had hummed thoughtfully, “Though I hate to admit it, you’re right. I am glad that you’re always going to do laundry.”  _

_ “You do it wrong,” Hinata whispered, ready to pull out of Kageyama’s grasp, expecting an attack. He was right, Kageyama dug his fingers into Hinata’s sides, tickling. Hinata pulled away, gasping for breath. He cackled as he sprinted away.  _

_ “Hinata, dumbass!” Kageyama called after him.  _

Hinata glances toward the front door, eyes twinkling. From this angle, he can see the bright orange of the base of the chart but not the rainbow assortment of boxes and stickers. 

He looks back to his pile of laundry and nods to himself. He closes the top of the dryer and starts folding. Kageyama, the  _ weirdo, _ likes most of his clothing folded, while Hinata likes his own hung in the closet for easy access. He supposes that it makes sense, the two of them being different down to the way they like to keep their clothing. 

Hinata chuckles fondly, thinking back to when their differences made them enemies. Oh, good times. And for a moment he’s nostalgic for his team, his very first team. He grins, not wanting his nostalgia to make him sad. 

It’s not long before Hinata’s mind is racing to other topics. He whistles and hums, every part of his body seems to move along to his song, though not very gracefully. Every piece of clothing gets its own little dance move before being folded or hung up. Hinata knows that if Kageyama were here watching him he’d say something. 

Something huffy along the lines of, “Hinata, dumbass, this is why laundry takes so long!” Hinata chuckles at the thought, folding one of Kageyama’s shirts. The next item on the pile is one of the many Scheiwden Adlers pieces of clothing they own. This particular one is a sweatshirt. Hinata runs his hand over it, thinking about Kageyama wearing it. The soft cotton is still warm under his fingers. Hinata bites the inside of his lip and grabs the sweatshirt before he can change his mind. He slips it over his head, pushing his arms through the long sleeves. He has to push the sleeves up for it to fit —stupid Kageyama and his ridiculously stupid long arms— but he loves this sweatshirt. The inside is softer than the outside and it’s super cozy. 

Hinata brings the sleeves up to his nose and breathes in deeply. Ah, somehow even under the sweet scent of their detergent he can still smell Kageyama. Hinata will always love how Kageyama smells. 

With that thought in mind, Hinata looks back toward the door, frowning. Shouldn’t he be home by now? He shuffles the clothes around, looking for his phone. It’s not here. Hinata purses his lips, thinking. Perhaps in the bedroom. He leaves the laundry for a moment and goes to their bedroom, looking for his phone. 

The device is indeed where he left it, hidden between the ruffled, ever messy covers. He pulls it out and clicks around for a minute, getting distracted. Hinata smacks himself on the forehead when he realizes that he’s gotten distracted. He clicks onto the texting app and finds his conversation with Kageyama. There’s no message saying he would be late. Hinata cocks his head to the side and types out a short message. 

_ 'running late?' _

With that, he shoves his phone in his pocket and makes his way back to the laundry. Kageyama had said he would stop and grab a few things they needed on his way home. Maybe he got caught up at the store. Or maybe the practice went long, Kageyama’s teammates are just as passionate about the sport as he is. Hinata decides that makes sense. He’s not worried about Kageyama. 

Forty-five minutes later he’s starting to get a little worried. He’s sent several more texts and even called a couple of times, but nothing. Kageyama is never radio silent. He will usually send a text making Hinata aware of the situation, whether it be that he’s going to be running late or that his phone is dying. 

Hinata has positioned himself in front of the door, concern growing by the minute. He’s started pacing, unsure what he should do. 

Perhaps, Kageyama decided he was going to get more than originally planned at the grocery store and he’s having to go slow because his arms are so full. 

Yeah. That sounds… right. Hinata decides that's what must be what’s going on. That has to be it. And if that’s what’s going on he should go help. 

Hinata nods to himself, hands shaking as he moves to the genkan. He struggles to pull on a pair of shoes because he’s freaking out so much. He sits down and takes a deep breath. It’s okay. Even if he doesn’t find Kageyama, Hinata is sure there’s a logical explanation for what’s going on. With a new sense of calm, Hinata slides on his shoes and stands. He grabs his keys and opens the door. 

His first step past the door frame crunches. Hinata scrunches up his face in confusion and looks down. He lifts his foot and tilts his head, even more confused.

Hinata’s newfound sense of calm vanishes when he realizes what he’s looking at. Surrounding his feet are overturned grocery bags. And Hinata stepped on a set of keys. Kageyama’s keys. He frowns, looking at the evidence that shows Kageyama should’ve come into their apartment. 

Hinata doesn’t even want to think about how long all this has been sitting here. What happened? Did Kageyama get into a fight with someone? Did something happen while Hinata was inside, mere meters away? A sick feeling fills Hinata’s stomach at the thought. He looks up into the rest of the hallway trying to find some other clue. 

But then, the world goes black. 

In a cold, dark room somewhere, Hinata Shōyō, laying on his side awakes with a groan. His head pounds and most of his body aches. He realizes, with a start, that his wrists are cuffed, attached to a piece of fabric that seems to wrap around his waist. He tugs at the contraption, testing it and grunting with the effort. 

“It won’t work, Sho’,” a familiar voice says softly. Hinata startles, lifting his head to see Kageyama. 

“Tobio!” he gasps, trying —struggling— to sit up. 

“Take a deep breath, dumbass. Roll on your back first. Then sit up,” Kageyama clicks his tongue and though Hinata is following his directions he can imagine Kageyama shaking his head. Finally, Hinata manages to sit up and as he does so Kageyama speaks again, “Look who’s here.” 

Hinata looks around. Across on the other side of the room, the one Kageyama is on, are several familiar faces. Narita Kazuhito sits to the left of Kageyama, to the right sits Ennoshita Chikara and Tsukishima Kei. And on the same side of the room as Hinata sits Azumane Asahi and Kinoshita Hisashi to his left and Yamaguchi Tadashi and Tanaka Ryūnosuje to his right. Leaning up against the far wall is Sugawara Kōshi and Sawamura Daichi. Or, in short, Hinata’s first-year high school volleyball team. 

“Y-you guys?” Hinata’s voice is weak. He circles the room with his eyes again and again, not believing the sight. They’re all similarly cuffed and restrained.

There are a few weak greetings, Hinata picks out Suga and Tanaka’s voices among them. Hinata blinks several times, still not believing it. 

“What the hell is going on?” he finally asks. He looks to Kageyama, searching for comfort. He doesn’t find it. 

“Shōyō, we were kidnapped.” 

Hinata waits. This is some big joke. A prank they’re pulling. This is… a reunion party and they wanted to pull a prank on him. Silence weighs down his shoulders as he waits, glancing from shell shocked face to shell shocked face. They’re really good actors if this is a prank. 

“You’re joking,” he’s starting to freak out now. He can feel the color drain from his face and his panic starts rising rapidly. 

“He’s not,” comes Suga’s soft voice. 

Tanaka chips in, “God, I wish he was.” The statement carries none of the humor Hinata had come to expect from him in the two years he had spent with Tanaka. Hinata shakes his head, heart hammering in his chest. 

“By who?!” he asks incredulously. Surely, this is where their prank will fall through. 

“Oh, I’m so glad you finally asked!” Oh, God, Hinata  _ knows _ that voice, “I was wondering how long it would take you, Small Fry.” Oikawa Tōru steps down from the stairs, a wide smile on his face. As he gets closer Hinata realizes that this facial expression is not the brilliant, cheery look he usually wore. It’s just slightly off. “Welcome! I’m sure your teammates have been anxious to see you!”

Hinata frowns. These guys were his teammates when he was in high school. And that was —what? five maybe six?— years ago. They were his first real team. He owes all of them so much. He grew alongside them. But, that was high school. 

He’s on a professional team now. He has new teammates. He will always respect everything the Karasuno Volleyball club gave him, but these guys aren’t his team anymore. In fact, last Hinata checked, most of them have jobs that don’t even involve volleyball. 

“Oikawa, this isn’t funny. Let us go.” Hinata looks up defiantly at Oikawa. He has never backed down from a challenge. Not even when it came to Oikawa. Hinata makes eye contact with Kageyama who seems terrified. His eyes are wide with fear and he’s  _ shaking. _

Oikawa moves closer to Hinata and squats down in front of him, blocking his view of Kageyama, “But this isn’t a joke, Sho-chan,” Hinata recoils, he shouldn’t be surprised that Oikawa would use a nickname like that, but it makes his skin crawl, “You want to know why you’re here? Why all your teammates are here?” Oikawa’s voice is sickly sweet and he still has a too-wide smile stretched across his face. 

Hinata just nods shakily, unsure how he’s supposed to respond. 

Oikawa’s eyes practically sparkle as he says, “Well, you’re the reason everything has gone wrong in my life. So, I figured I’d balance it out. If you all have a few things go wrong for you, then maybe a few things will go right for me. Fix the cosmic scales and all that.” And with that, he’s standing. He only moves a little to the side, focusing his eyes on Tadashi, who positively  _ cowers. _

“Yamaguchi Tadashi! Who knew a pinch server could be so smart?! He’s working with an electronics company now. Very important business things.” Oikawa moves on but Hinata’s eyes stay focused on the shaking figure of his old friend. He hadn’t known that Tadashi was doing something that interesting and impressive. If the circumstances were different Hinata would congratulate him. 

“Tanaka here,” Oikawa says, gesturing to him, “He’s a personal trainer! And! Did you know he married Kiyoko-san?” To Hinata’s surprise, Tanaka lowers his angry gaze at the mention of his wife. Sadness squeezes at Hinata’s heart. 

He had, of course, known that the two of them got married. He and Kageyama received an invitation in the mail. They hadn’t been able to attend as they were both doing intense training. They had sent a gift to the couple —a nice set of wooden bento boxes that Kageyama picked out— and a card filled with their apologies and well wishes. 

“Sugawara-kun,” Oikawa moves further away from Hinata, gesturing to Suga. Hinata doesn’t miss the way Suga flinches when Oikawa says his name, “Did you know he teaches now? Elementary school! Oh, I can’t imagine how much those kids love him. And he looks adorable in that little sweater too.” Oikawa moves swiftly on, moving closer to the other side of the room, stopping in front of Tsukkishima. 

“Now, Tsukishima surprised me. He’s playing professionally now? I didn’t even think he liked volleyball!” Oikawa giggles and Hinata frowns at the sound. It’s unpleasant. Though, he can see why Oikawa would think Tsukkishima didn’t like volleyball. It took a while for Tsukkishima to be expressive like himself or Nishinoya. 

“See, Sho-chan? Everyone is flourishing. Even you and-” Oikawa has come awful close to Kageyama. Suddenly he grabs Kageyama by the hair, pulling up hard, he cries out, having to raise up to not be in pain. Oikawa just smiles at Hinata “Kageyama Tobio. Not only are you both playing professionally but you’re quietly and happily living together? How long have you been in love? It’s so beautiful!” He drops Tobio down and Hinata frowns. He doesn’t like Oikawa talking about their relationship. And the way he says it. It just sounds wrong coming from Oikawa’s mouth. 

Oikawa steps away from Kageyama and back toward Hinata, “Do your teammates know?” he asks softly, conspiratorially, but he raises his voice back up when he speaks again, “It sure didn’t surprise me. I mean… you were a force to be reckoned with on the court together, so I can only imagine what you’re like…” Oikawa drifts off, going somewhere else, his eyes glittering again. Hinata’s frown deepens, not liking where he thinks Oikawa’s train of thought is going. He and Kageyama have been intensely private with their relationship. The thought of Oikawa spending any time fantasizing about them makes Hinata want to vomit. 

“Ah, I do have a problem, though. Can you guess what it is?” Oikawa asks, tilting his head down to look at Hinata. 

“You clearly have more than one problem!” Hinata snaps, glaring with all his might. Oikawa squats down smiling that sick smile. 

“Oh, silly, silly Small Fry. Don’t talk back to me like that!” Oikawa pulls back his right hand, poised and ready to backhand Hinata, he swings forward but stops just a few centimeters from Hinata’s face, “You know how powerful my swing is… Don’t test me.” For the first time since he appeared Oikawa’s tone actually resembles the venom that his words display. He tilts his head, his smile strange, his eyes going wide and scary. Hinata pulls back as much as he can. 

“Don’t!” Kageyama snaps, “Don’t hurt him. Hurt me.” Hinata can’t bring himself to say the words, ‘ _ Tobio, no.’ _ He watches, heart thumping wildly, as Oikawa smirks and turns slowly toward Kageyama. 

“Oh, I plan to,” that venom seeps into Oikawa’s words again, “But I wasn’t talking to  _ you,  _ Tobio.” Oikawa turns back to Hinata, a smile plastered onto his face once more, “Can you guess what my problem is, little Hinata?” 

“No…” 

Oikawa clicks his tongue, exuding jovial energy that is incredibly off-putting in this context, “Silly! One of your teammates is missing! Haven’t you realized? He’s quite the spitfire so I’m surprised you haven’t noticed the lack of noise.” And with that Oikawa just blinks at Hinata, waiting, apparently. 

Hinata racks his brain, panicking. He doesn’t want to look around the room. He has a feeling Oikawa would think that was cheating or something. Hinata thinks back through all of the people he saw sitting around the room. And Oikawa did say spitfire. 

“Nishinoya isn’t here?” he finally asks. 

Oikawa, to Hinata’s great surprise, genuinely frowns, “No, but… He should be joining the party soon! I’ve got a plan. Don’t you worry that little head of yours!” Oikawa flicks Hinata’s forehead, mood swiftly shifted. Very quickly, in fact. With that, he’s apparently done because he saunters toward the stairs and Hinata and the rest of the group listen to his light footsteps as he makes his way up the stairs. There’s a collective sigh of relief as a distant door clicks shut. 

Hinata looks around the room, confusion taking over him. No one is moving. There are resigned faces all around him. Sadness, defeat, resignation… Hinata can’t believe it. 

He tugs against the cuffs again, pulling harder, trying with renewed vigor to free himself. He grunts with the effort. 

“Shōyō,” comes Kageyama’s soft voice. Hinata looks up, pausing in his movements. Hinata shuffles forward, closer to Kageyama, and as he gets closer Hinata realizes there is a bruise blossoming around Kageyama’s eye, and his bottom lip is split open. 

“Kageyama, your-” 

“It was Oikawa,” he says.

“We should-”

Kageyama just shakes his head. Then he tilts his head toward the end of the room, where Suga and Daichi are. Hinata turns and really looks at the pair. Suga tries to put a smile on his face when he realizes Hinata is looking at him but it doesn’t show any true happiness. 

It suddenly hits Hinata. Daichi is a policeman! Daichi always knew what to do. That’s why he was captain, he was the leader! 

“What do we do? You’re a policeman, Daichi. How do we get out of this?!” There’s a suffocating silence following Hinata’s question. As Hinata looks around the room everyone, even Tsukishima avoids his gaze. He looks back down the room at Daichi and Suga. 

Suga frowns. That scares Hinata. Suga was always a rock. Suga always was the one with an encouraging word. 

“Daichi has been here the longest, Hinata,” Suga speaks softly, looking at Daichi, a sad fondness creasing his face, making him look ten years older than he actually is, “I was second. By the time I got here Daichi had been here for a month.” 

Hinata’s mouth drops open, “No…” 

“Oikawa said it himself if he can keep a policeman locked in his basement for over a month, then what was a whole volleyball team?” Suga scoffs, looking up at the ceiling. 

A sick feeling takes over Hinata. He can’t believe this. This… This can’t actually be happening. There has to be a way out. They have to be able to get out. They have to.

“But… have you tried to escape? Have you  _ tried  _ to get out?”

Asahi’s voice surprises Hinata and he turns to look at him, “Of course, Hinata. Daichi, Suga, Tanaka, and I all tried it. We thought the four of us could get out. Could overpower him. But he has this… stick that’s like a taser. I thought I was going to die when he shocked me. And then… He…” Asahi gulps, eyes filling with tears. He shakes his head, unable to go on. 

“Oikawa broke Asahi’s fingers, one by one,” Tanaka says, his face and voice dark, “and then Iwaizumi showed up.” 

“Iwaizumi?!” Hinata and Kageyama say together. More than one person is involved in this insanity? Hinata feels dizzy. 

Ennoshita says, “Yes. Iwaizumi is actually doing most of the work in this little operation. He brought me next. I got here just in time, actually. I helped set Asahi’s fingers. Iwaizumi gave us medical tape and allowed me to set and wrap Asahi’s fingers before locking me up.” 

Hinata and Kageyama both turn to look at Ennoshita. He smiles or at least tries to. 

“I’m a physical therapist,” Ennoshita says by way of explanation. Hinata nods and looks back to Asahi. He’s curling the fingers of his right hand against his stomach so it’s not hard for Hinata to guess which hand was injured. 

_ Holy shit. _

“Iwaizumi is the one who brings us food, the one who... I mean he’s like a nanny,” Tanaka spits. Hinata shakes his head. No, this can’t be true. 

“But why?! I mean, this can’t  _ actually _ be about high school volleyball right?” Hinata asks, looking around the room. No one seems to have an answer. Hinata still can’t believe it. 

“It is…” Daichi’s voice comes out hoarse and weak. Ennoshita actually gasps at hearing Daichi speak. “He thinks… He thinks Karasuno beating Aoba Johsai in the qualifiers that year was what set him up for failure in the long run.” Daichi heaves out a heavy sigh and leans back against his wall as if those words took tremendous effort. 

Hinata looks down at the ground, “He blames us…?” His question is soft and no one responds. 

Hinata looks up at Kageyama, finding an absolutely grim look on his face. He closes his eyes shut, not wanting to see the looks on anyone’s face. They’re sad, they’re hurt, they’ve lost hope. Hinata can’t take it. He brings his knees up to his chest and lets out a shaky breath, not wanting this to be real. There’s no way this is real. 


	2. Please Stop You're Scaring Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Kageyama adjust to their surroundings. Someone else shows up.

The reality of his situation sets in as time passes. There is a sullen air throughout the room. No one really seems to be in the mood for talking.

The basement is chilly. Hinata is glad he’s still wearing the sweatshirt. He pulls in on himself as the guys seem to settle in for the night. Most of them move to the thin futons lining the walls. There seem to be enough futons for every guy that was on Hinata’s first team. There is an empty one behind where he woke and an empty one behind where Kageyama sits. 

There’s one more empty one, toward the end of the room where the stairs are. Hinata doesn’t like looking at it. It’s clearly intended for Nishinoya. There is a dichotomy of emotion inside Hinata. It stays empty meaning Nishinoya hasn’t been kidnapped like the rest of them. But that also means Nishinoya  _ hasn’t _ been kidnapped. He’s still out there, living his life like nothing is wrong. 

Hinata suddenly realizes how many dark paths of thought he could go down and he doesn’t like sitting by himself anymore. Despite being cuffed, he does his best to crawl over to Kageyama. 

Though he’s laying down, Kageyama’s eyes are still wide open and he flicks his gaze over to Hinata as he approaches. Hinata, as gently as he can, lays down beside his boyfriend. Kageyama rolls onto his side to look at Hinata, their heads sharing the same, thin pillow. Hinata tangles their legs together like he would do if they were at home, in their bed. Kageyama moves his head forward so their foreheads rest against each other. 

Hinata lets his eyes flutter shut, feeling an iota of comfort being in Kageyama’s space.  _ Oh, Tobio. _ A constant in this fucked up situation. Hinata lets out a shuddering breath, eyes feeling hot with tears.

“Shōyō,” Kageyama whispers, Hinata cracks open his eyes, “you’re wearing my sweatshirt.” Kageyama reaches out awkwardly with bound hands and rubs the fabric of the sweatshirt between his fingers. Though his voice is soft Hinata is sure that the lack of noise in the room makes it easy to hear him. 

“Yeah,” Hinata responds, just as soft. But his voice cracks. He frowns and shuffles around on the futon so he can press his face into Kageyama’s chest. He closes his eyes and breathes in.  _ Ah, there it is. _ That is the scent he was trying to find on the sweatshirt. He revels in Kageyama for a moment, getting a hold of his emotions. 

He finally is able to pull back and shuffle back up to where his face is level with Kageyama’s. 

“Did you finish the laundry?” Kageyama asks softly as if they’re just chatting in their apartment. Hinata can tell just by the look on his face that Kageyama is also desperately searching for something that is normal, something that is familiar in all this chaos. 

As Hinata opens his mouth to respond he’s hit again by how silent the room is. If any of the guys are awake and listening, Hinata is glad they’re giving them the courtesy of pretending to be asleep. There is a sort of camaraderie in this, Hinata realizes. 

“I did,” Hinata whispers back, “we just have to put it away when we get home.” When.  _ When _ … if. If they get home. If they get out. If they get out alive. If- 

Kageyama gently places his lips against Hinata’s. The kiss is short and sweet. Kageyama doesn’t pull very far back, keeping his forehead against Hinata’s. 

“I can see those wheels turning, Sho’, I need you right here with me. Right now. You know that nothing matters but this moment. You gotta stay right here.”

Hinata nods weakly, eyes filling with tears again. Kageyama reaches out with his hands and laces their fingers together. He closes his eyes, their bodies as intertwined as possible. 

Kageyama whispers again, “I love you, Shōyō.” 

It’s then that Hinata’s tears start falling. He keeps his lips firmly pressed together, knowing that if he were to open them he would sob. He doesn’t want to cry. He doesn’t want to cry in front of these guys. He doesn’t want to be the weak one. 

Hinata closes his eyes too. He’ll have to focus on his health, that’s important. He has to stay healthy and he’ll be okay. Sleep is necessary. He focuses on his breathing like he does every night. 

As Hinata starts to wake up he grows annoyed at his body for being sore. It doesn’t take long for his brain to catch up, though, and he remembers where he is and  _ why _ he’s sore. He is tempted to keep his eyes closed, tempted to pretend that this is not his reality. 

He can hear some of the guys talking softly. Hinata doesn’t listen. Instead, he focuses on what he can feel. His shoulder and arm are sore from being in an awkward position all night. The futon underneath his body is nowhere near thick enough to soften the feeling of the concrete floor. He can still feel the heat of his legs intertwined with Kageyama’s and that helps ground him. 

He starts listening when someone says his name, “Hinata should probably get up.” That was… It sounded like Ennoshita. Hinata finally starts to blink his eyes open, still feeling weary. Kageyama has half rolled onto his back, to look up at Ennoshita. 

It’s definitely Ennoshita speaking, “I just have a feeling that they wouldn’t like him over here. If they put him down on the other side of the room he should be over there when they come down.” 

“Okay, I’ll wake him up.” Kageyama turns back to look at Hinata and the corners of his mouth lift slightly when he finds him awake. “How long have you been awake?”

Hinata shrugs as best he can and sits up, untangling their legs. He asks softly, “Why do I have to leave you?” He feels sort of petulant saying it but it slips out before he can stop himself.

“It’s just a precaution, Hinata,” Ennoshita says. His face is kind as it has always been. Hinata purses his lips. 

“We’ve learned our lesson,” Tanaka pipes up from the other side of the room and Hinata turns to look at him, “We generally try to be as unassuming as possible. The less we do to provoke them, the less they have to be angry about.” 

Hinata frowns. It’s horrifying to hear his friends talk like this but Hinata glances back over at Asahi and he nods. He doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. If they can just figure out what Oikawa wants maybe they can get out. 

With one last glance at Kageyama, Hinata awkwardly pushes himself to standing and goes back to sit between Tadashi and Asahi. It feels strange to sit across the room from Kageyama like this. Though Hinata concedes, it’s definitely not the weirdest thing about any of this. 

“So, what normally happens?” Kageyama asks, his voice and face awkward. 

It doesn’t shock Hinata that it’s Suga who explains it. He shuffles forward a little, moving away from Daichi who looks almost like he hasn’t moved. He explains that Iwaizumi comes down for meals and gives them all food and lets them have the use of one of their hands. After each person finishes eating Iwaizumi takes them to the bathroom. They take their jugs and fill them up at the sink so they have something to drink. Then everyone’s hands are locked back up and he doesn’t come back until dinner. The process is repeated. Oikawa almost never helps Iwaizumi do any of this either. 

Hinata feels anxious at the thought of only having two meals a day. That can’t be healthy. How is he supposed to keep his health, his strength if he’s only eating twice a day?

Tanaka goes on to tell them that the food is usually bland and boring. Plain nori rolls, fried eggs, occasionally protein bars, fried fish if they’re lucky. 

“I’d kill  _ just _ for some soy sauce,” Kinoshita says, leaning against the support beam he sits next to. He sighs wistfully.

Tanaka groans, “Stop, I’m salivating.”

Tsukishimia surprises Hinata by saying, “I could go for tempura.” There is a noise of collective agreement.

“I miss miso soup,” Tadashi says, looking fondly up at the ceiling. 

“You know what I miss most,” Asahi asks, pausing to smile a little, “Those little Koala’s March cookies. The ones with the chocolate filling.” 

Tanaka scoffs, “Dude, no way. The strawberry ones are the best.” 

That starts a light-hearted argument between a few of the guys about snacks and Hinata grins. He even sees Suga genuinely smile for the first time. Hinata smiles too and looks around the room. 

They can do this, he thinks. They have to stay healthy and stay positive. And they can  _ get through this. _

The conversation eventually breaks off into little groups and there’s a slightly happier air to the room. Hinata watches fondly as Kageyama and Tsukishima get into an argument. Nothing as intense as high school, but an argument nonetheless. Hinata even sees Tsukishima throw an exasperated look to Tadashi. 

Ennoshita has come over to Hinata’s side of the room and is chatting with Asahi, both of them examining his right hand. Narita follows Ennoshita and they all chat quietly. Tanaka has inserted himself into Tsukishima and Kageyama’s argument, dragging Tadashi along with him. 

Hinata just watches, feeling like he’s back in high school again. He could almost pretend they’re at a volleyball camp, all still restless from practice, too antsy to go to sleep. Hinata half expects Daichi to yell at them to settle down. He glances down to the end of the room where Daichi and Suga are and frowns. 

Daichi has either not gotten up from his futon or has laid back down. He’s on his side, facing away from the entire room, curled in on himself. Sugawara looks down at him with the most concerned look on his face. It breaks Hinata’s heart. 

As if sensing that he’s looking, Suga turns and offers a weak smile. He shuffles up to standing and comes to sit next to Hinata. Suga gently knocks his own shoulder into Hinata’s and grins, for real this time. 

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen them like this,” Suga says softly, looking around the room, “You’ve always been good at this… Bringing  _ hope.” _

Hinata scoffs, “I’m not sure  _ I _ did this.” 

“Believe me or not, but it’s true. Your presence brightens up a room, Hinata. You  _ and _ Kageyama. Together the two of you have this… essence that makes people have joy, have hope.” Suga glances down toward Daichi and Hinata follows his gaze. 

“What happened, Suga? What did Oikawa  _ do _ to him?” 

Sugawara sighs and looks back at Hinata, looking ten years older than he actually is, “I… I’m not sure, Hinata. He would barely speak to me when I got here. The talking that he’s done since you got here? Meters above what I ever got out of him. I don’t know what Oikawa did. But… It’s left a mark on Daichi.” 

It’s been several hours since Hinata woke up. People keep shifting around the room, conversations ebbing and flowing. Hinata’s stomach is growling. He looks toward the stairs for what feels like the hundredth time. As he turns to look away he catches Tanaka looking too. 

“I’m hungry,” Hinata says to him. Tanaka nods. 

“Me too.”

“Is this normal? How late do they bring down breakfast?” 

Tanaka shakes his head, his eyes drifting toward the stairs again, “No. Iwaizumi is usually down here as soon as we’re awake.” Hinata frowns. This does not bode well. 

“Hinata,” Ennoshita says his name like a question. Hinata turns, not realizing he had looked toward the stairs. 

“I’m sorry?”

Ennoshita grins, “I just asked how you and Kageyama-kun were liking your neighborhood?” Hinata smiles. Maybe Sugawara was right. Maybe he and Kageyama do bring an  _ essence _ of hope. Maybe they really can get out of this. 

“Oh, it’s nice. I wish we lived closer to my work but Kageyama wishes we were closer to  _ his work,  _ so…” Hinata shrugs in a what-can-you-do kind of way. Ennoshita grins. It’s a tried and true line that Hinata uses at parties. It’s lighthearted. He is going to keep everyone’s spirits up. If they stay hopeful… maybe… 

He opens his mouth to say more but his stomach growls again. He huffs, “I’m so hungry.” 

“Me too,” Narita says from his spot on his futon. Hinata turns to the stairs again. 

“No one is coming down,” Asahi says sadly. Hinata frowns. He watches Tanaka shake his head sagely. He feels the hopeful air drain out of the room as each person seems to come to terms with their lack of breakfast. It’s hard to stay hopeful when everyone around you is so full of despair. 

“Are they going to starve us?” Tadashi asks, his voice trembling. 

“Oh, God,” Asahi says, putting his face in his hands. 

Hinata desperately wishes Tadashi had not said that. Everyone around him deflates and Hinata wants to push the words back in. Ennoshita sadly shuffles back to his own futon and Asahi fully lays down. Hinata looks over to find even Kageyama is frowning. This is very bad. 

A large portion of the day is spent in silence, a somber air firmly blanketing the room. Hinata doesn’t like it. The silence makes him feel itchy. But every attempt he makes at conversation is met with half-hearted hums and nods. Hinata eventually gives up and starts trying to come up with a plan. He has to have a plan. He’ll pull everyone together and they’ll work as a team to defeat the enemy, just like in high school. 

Hinata’s first issue is Oikawa’s supposed taser stick. He doesn’t know what it is so he’s not sure how to beat it. He doesn’t even know what it feels like to be shocked by a taser. Maybe if… Hinata hates himself for even thinking it, but if they let one person be shocked then- Oikawa would be distracted. They could tackle him, take his taser-stick-thing, use it against him- Except their hands are shackled to their waists and Hinata has examined the locks. They require a key. He wonders who carries the key. Is it Oikawa? No, it must be Iwaizumi because he’s the one who unlocks their hands so they can eat. How would they even get the key from Iwaizumi? Maybe someone could tackle him and get the key from him! Then they could unlock themselves and have Iwaizumi be the bait for Oikawa. He would come down to the basement and since their hands would be free they might not even have to have anyone get shocked. 

Hinata grins to himself. This is a great plan. He can tackle Iwaizumi when he comes down for dinner. 

After several more hours, it becomes clear that Iwaizumi isn’t coming down with dinner either. Hinata sort of wants to cry. The group is even more gloomy as time passes. 

Tanaka huffs out that he’s going to sleep if they’re not getting dinner and settles into his futon. Narita and Kinoshita follow suit. 

“I guess… Wake me up if he comes down with dinner,” Ennoshita shrugs and lays down on his futon. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi follow suit.

Tsukishima mutters something about sleeping away the hunger. Hinata looks at Asahi and Suga for support. Both of them glance away when he makes eye contact with them. He sighs, watching Suga lay down on his futon and settle in. He hears Asahi do the same. Hinata turns to look at Kageyama, the only person who hasn’t laid down yet. 

He lifts one hand as much as he can and beckons Hinata over. It doesn’t take long for Hinata to stand and move to him. They settle onto Kagyema’s futon and intertwine themselves. Kageyama offers Hinata another gentle peck and shuts his eyes for the night. 

Hinata awakes for the third time in the basement but this time the room is still silent. The only noise is some shuffling behind Hinata. But as he blinks his eyes open he realizes there is light coming from the stairs. He manages to peel himself away from Kageyama and turns to look at what’s going on. 

He gasps. 

Iwaizumi, kneeled on the ground beside Narita, turns to look at him. Hinata barely recognizes him in the dim light. He looks like a shell of the talented volleyball player he played against in high school. 

A fit of sudden anger takes over Hinata, “Why are you doing this?” He just barely manages to keep his question a whisper. Iwaizumi sighs and looks down at the ground. There’s a heavy pause in which Iwaizumi lifts his hand to his face and sighs again. He looks back up at Hinata and he seems a broken man. 

“I owe Oikawa more than my life,” he sounds so defeated as he says it, Hinata almost feels bad for him, “I’ll be down with food soon.” Iwaizumi stands and Hinata watches him, almost sneering. Iwaizumi turns, a sudden venom coating his features, “When I come back you better be on your own futon. You wouldn’t like the consequences, Hinata.” And with that, he disappears up the stairs. 

Hinata decides he better follow Iwaizumi’s orders. He’ll be in a better position to attack him if he’s not suspecting anything. Hinata grunts softly as he pushes at the ground, standing up slowly. He starts to move forward but stops himself, his heart dropping. 

He’s not sure what noise comes out of him but it isn’t human. 

Nishinoya lay on the last futon, eyes closed, chest falling and rising slowly. He looks so peaceful. Hinata feels a sick sense of empathy for when he wakes up to his new reality. 

“Hinata?” Kageyama asks softly, having apparently woken up. Hinata just gestures at Nishinoya, not wanting to wake anyone else up. 

Kageyama doesn’t have the same reservations apparently because he says, “Oh, fuck,” a little too loudly for Hinata’s taste. Everyone is still asleep. Hinata was hoping to give them a little longer where they were peacefully unaware that the entire Karasuno Volleyball team is now in Oikawa’s basement. 

People start to stir and Hinata groans softly. He has a feeling this isn’t going to be pleasant. He wonders if this is how they felt when he and Kageyama showed up. 

Narita is the first to wake up, in between Nishinoya and Kageyama, he’s the closest to the noise. Honestly, Hinata is surprised he didn’t wake up while Iwaizumi was down here. 

Narita looks around, with bleary eyes and a confused face. Kageyama just gestures to Nishinoya the way Hinata had. Narita gasps softly. 

“Nishinoya-san?” he asks softly. 

“Noya?” Asahi asks voice strained. Hinata turns to find Asahi sitting up, rubbing at his eyes.  _ Oh no. _ He wishes he could do something to prevent this. He wishes he could’ve done something to prevent all of this. 

“Asahi-” Hinata starts. But Asahi is already moving towards Nishinoya, breathing frantic and worried. 

“Is he okay? Why is he still unconscious? What did he do to you?” Asahi directs the last question directly at Nishinoya’s unconscious form and Hinata squirms where he stands, uncomfortable. He unconsciously steps backward. 

“What’s going on?” Sugawara calls from the other end of the room.

Kageyama answers, “Nishinoya-san is here.” 

“Oh,” is all Suga says. Hinata doesn’t like this. He steps on something soft and realizes he’s made it all the way back to his futon. He shakily lowers himself to the ground. 

“I thought Nishinoya could stay away,” Tanaka’s voice surprises Hinata. He hadn’t know Tanaka was awake. But it seems like most everyone is awake at this point. “I thought he could do it.” Tanaka’s broken tone reminds Hinata of what Iwaizumi had said. And that just makes him go from uncomfortable to angry. Iwaizumi did this. Iwaizumi and Oikawa did this. And Hinata is going to stop it. 

It’s not long before Iwaizumi is back, bringing with him breakfast. He sets two baskets down in the middle of the room and brings a ring of keys out of his pocket. 

_ There. _ Hinata keeps his eyes trained on the keys, his target is within his sights. Iwaizumi starts on the right side of the room, unlocking one of Kinoshita’s hands, just like Suga said he would. Watching as Asahi, back on his futon, flinches as Iwazumi nears him only makes Hinata’s rage burn that much brighter. 

Hinata should be next. He takes a deep breath to steel himself. 

But Iwaizumi passes right by him, unlocking one of Tadashi’s hands and moving swiftly on to Tanaka before Hinata can even move. Hinata blinks, confused. 

He refocuses, keeping his eyes on Iwaizumi. He’ll just wait. His time will come. Iwaizumi is still moving around the room. Suga, Daichi, Tsukishima all have a free hand. There’s only Ennoshita in between Kageyama and Iwaizumi and it stresses Hinata out. 

But again, to Hinata’s surprise, Iwaizumi passes right by him. 

He unlocks one of Narita’s hands and doesn’t even spare a glance at the still unconscious Nishinoya. 

Iwaizumi moves back to the center of the room where he set down the baskets. He slides the ring of keys into his pocket as does so and Hinata curses internally. Damn him. He brings out bento boxes and Hinata is surprised. How much effort is put into feeding them? 

The same pattern follows. Iwaizumi wordlessly moves around the room, handing out bento boxes but passes by Hinata and Kageyama. 

Once everyone has a box Iwaizumi moves back to the center of the room by the baskets again and squats down. He looks between Hinata and Kageyama, eyes narrowed. 

“Here’s how this works, boys. I unlock one hand for you to use to eat with. Then after you’re done eating I take you to the little bathroom in the back, you do your business and I lock your hands back up. Okay?”

Neither of them responds and Iwaizumi stands. He pulls the keys back out and steps toward Hinata. Iwaizumi roughly grabs Hinata’s right wrist and unlocks the cuff. Hinata barely has a chance to move his hand, much less tackle Iwaizumi before he’s moving to the other side of the room. Hinata decides he’s going to wait until Iwaizumi brings him his bento box. That’ll be perfect. 

Iwaizumi reaches into one of the baskets and pulls out two more bento boxes. He steps toward Kageyama first, handing the box off. He turns and moves back toward Hinata, bento box proffered out. 

Hinata takes a deep breath and steels himself again. 

Iwaizumi takes another step forward and Hinata’s right-hand shoots out, knocking the bento box to the side. He leans forward, up on his knees, grabbing Iwaizumi by the arm. But, Hinata underestimated how strong Iwaizumi is.

He twists his arm out of Hinata’s grip and grabs his wrist again, much tighter this time. He steps out of the way and lets Hinata’s momentum push him face-first onto the ground. But he doesn’t stop there, Iwaizumi kneels, his knee sharply pressing into the back of Hinata’s hand. Iwaizumi uses the other hand to press Hinata’s head down, pressing his face into the concrete. 

“Don’t be like this, Hinata. This is real simple okay? Just do as your told and everything will go smoothly. If you fuck anything up around here I have to tell Oikawa. You don’t want that. Isn’t that right, Asahi? What happens when people fuck things up?” 

“They get hurt,” Asahi whispers. 

Hinata grunts, “Fine!” 

Iwaizumi yanks him up by his wrist, glaring at him. “Keep that in mind, Hinata. Because I could just hurt you myself, you understand?” The grip on his wrist gets really tight and Hinata whimpers.

“I’m sorry!” 

Iwaizumi lets go of Hinata’s wrist and steps away from him. He uses his foot to shove the bento box across the floor toward Hinata. A small mercy from the universe, the box stayed closed, protecting Hinata’s breakfast. 

He opens the bento box and realizes that, no, not a lot of effort is put into feeding them. It’s the sorriest bento box that Hinata has ever seen. It has a pile of white rice, a small piece of salmon, and a boiled egg. There’s no presentation. The boiled egg isn’t even sliced. Hinata doesn’t know what he was expected, but this really shouldn’t surprise him. He gets to eating. 

As he chews he watches the guys shuffle past him, one by one, empty water jugs in hand, Iwaizumi’s hand on their arm. He forces the food down, his shame making it hard to eat. He should’ve been able to do it. Now he’s given away the only plan he had. Hinata eats as much as he can but there’s still rice left when he puts the lid back on the bento box. 

From unlocking hands to locking them back up, the whole process probably takes just a little over half an hour, and then Iwaizumi is collecting bento boxes and leaving. 

There is another silence and Hinata has a feeling he’s going to have to get used to this. 

A groan makes everyone turn. Nishinoya is sitting up on his futon. 

He looks around, eyes crinkled in confusion, “What the fuck?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come yell at me on Tumblr [@ira-fae](https://ira-fae.tumblr.com/)


	3. Hold Your Breath, Make a Wish, Count to Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has graphic depictions of violence and i wanted to remind everyone to look at the tags before reading. proceed with caution.

It takes almost an hour to get Nishinoya to stop yelling once they tell him what’s going on. He makes wild threats toward the ceiling and Asahi at one point has to practically tackle Nishinoya to keep him from climbing the stairs. 

Then it’s an hour of silence. He turns his back to them and sits perfectly still. That’s what scares Hinata the most. Nishinoya yelling threats he could never follow up on makes sense. Nishinoya having to be physically restrained to keep him from doing something stupid makes sense. Nishinoya sitting silently and stock still does  _ not _ make sense. 

At one point, Hinata makes a move toward Nishinoya but Kageyama shoots a foot out in front of him and gives him a firm shake of his head. Hinata can almost hear the words Kageyama is thinking. 

_ Boke, Hinata, boke. _

Nishinoya has finally turned around when the door opens and a light set of feet starts down the stairs. Oikawa pokes his head past the wall and smiles brightly. He hops down the last few steps. 

Oikawa doesn’t say anything. He laces his fingers together behind his back and slowly walks from one end of the room toward the other. His eyes cross the room as he does so, giving each person a full stare. No one makes a sound, not even Nishinoya. Hinata almost wants to hold his breath to make himself quieter. 

Tension crackles in the air. 

Oikawa spins on his heel, turning away from Daichi and Sugawara. His smile is as bright as ever. He makes his way back up the room, faster this time, his eyes locked on Nishinoya.

“Well, well, look at this,” Oikawa makes a sweeping gesture before turning to Nishinoya, he squats down so he’s level with him, “You really are the wingless crows, huh?” Oikawa messes with the locks on Nishinoya’s restraints, shaking them so they rattle. Nishinoya grunts, throwing his weight forward and slamming his head forward into Oikawa’s nose. 

Oikawa  _ shrieks. _ He pulls back, hand flying to his nose. 

He stands, still glaring at Nishinoya, “Oh! You little brat! You don’t know what you’ve just done!” He huffs then turns. They all wait with bated breath as they listen to Oikawa stomp up the stairs. 

“Oh, God,” Asahi whines, “Noya, don’t-” Asahi cuts himself off with a whimper, lowering his face to his hands. 

“Nishinoya, you can’t do things like that,” Suga says from the end of the room. 

Noya’s head whips around, glaring down the length of the room, “Like fuck, I can’t.”

“You don’t understand. People are going to get hurt. Bones are going to get broken. People are going to get shocked. This isn’t a game,” Suga insists. Nishinoya shakes his head, scoffing. 

“This is why you’re all still down here.” 

There are several gasps and Hinata can feel another sort of tension arising. Tension between friends — between teammates. This isn’t good. If they start fighting they’ll never be able to work together. 

“Oikawa isn’t right in the head,” Asahi says, “please, Noya. Don’t make him angry.” 

Nishnoya opens his mouth to respond but they all hear the click of a door opening. The footsteps are much lighter this time and Oikawa’s bright smiling face doesn’t surprise Hinata. 

He holds in his hand a black baton and Hinata gets a sick feeling in his stomach. Oikawa only has eyes for Nishinoya. 

“Do you know the difference between volts and amps?” Oikawa keeps his distance from Nishnoya this time, holding the baton between his hands. Hinata flicks his eyes over to Asahi. It breaks Hinata’s heart to see Asahi curled in on himself, the color drained from his face. 

“Fuck you, Oikawa!” Nishinoya shouts. There are several noises from several different people. Oikawa seems to hear none of it. 

“It’s the amps that kill you when it comes to electricity. And do you know how many amps it takes to kill you? It’s between one hundred and two hundred amps. But you can be shocked by fifty thousand volts and live!” 

Oikawa turns to the room at large, he holds out the baton for all to see. In one, graceful, swirling move, Oikawa flicks the baton and it slides open, smaller and thinner pieces clicking out and lengthening the body of the weapon. 

“This bad boy has three settings. Twenty, thirty, and forty volts! And it’s only forty-five amps. Isn’t that so fun? So, if it takes one hundred amps to kill a human being, and this only has forty-five… Well, then I guess I can just keep shocking you, huh?” Oikawa shifts so he’s facing Nishinoya again. He swings the baton so it’s pointed toward Nishinoya. There’s a beat and then the baton crackles to life, buzzing and glowing. 

“Let’s see what twenty feels like!” 

“Wait!” Hinata shouts before he can stop himself. Oikawa turns, eyes wild, head tilted, “Don’t shock, Nishinoya. Shock me. I’ll take his p- punishment.” 

Oikawa gasps and puts his empty hand over his chest, giggling, “Quite the little martyr aren’t you, Sho-chan?” he shifts the baton and the electricity goes silent, “Hmm, you offering yourself up on a platter is very intriguing but… How will he learn if I don’t punish him? Hmm, Small fry?”

“It-” Hinata fumbles, nervously glancing around the room at shocked and terrified faces, “It would hurt worse to make him watch someone he cares about get hurt.” 

Oikawa’s grin turns devilish and he narrows his eyes, stepping toward Hinata, “That is a good point! I wonder if you’re right, though. You know what?” A bright, happy expression takes over Oikawa’s face, “I do love playing games so… Let’s find out. Which hurts more, Nishinoya? Watching Hinata get shocked?” Oikawa gives Nishinoya one last glance before fully stepping in front of Hinata. 

“Wait-” Nishinoya shouts. 

But Oikawa has already pulled back his arm and ignited the baton once again. He swings forward and slams the baton into Hinata’s stomach. All of Hinata’s muscles tense as the shock travels through him. Pain follows an intense, hot pain. The feeling of little pinpricks takes over his skin and he groans. He collapses on his side, not able to make his muscles do anything. 

Hinata watches, his view tilted on its side, as Oikawa moves back toward Nishinoya. 

“Or, does it hurt more to get shocked yourself?” Oikawa asks. Hinata tries to protest but he can’t make his mouth move. The most he manages is a strained whine. 

Again, Oikawa pulls back and electricity crackles over the baton. He swings forward, letting the shock travel through Nishinoya, whose movements mirror Hinata’s as he crumples onto the floor, whimpering in pain. 

Oikawa kneels down, getting close to the shaking form of Nishinoya, “Well? Which is it, Nishinoya?” There’s a moment of silence and even from his spot on the floor, on the other side of the room, Hinata can see the rage on Nishinoya’s face. 

“Me…” Nishinoya manages, weak and shaky, “P-please, don’t hu- hurt Hinata…. Hurts me more… Shock me…” Nishinoya gasps, squeezing his eyes closed and Hinata clenches his fists in sympathy. 

Oikawa laughs, standing and sliding the baton closed, the  _ click click click _ sounds grating against Hinata’s nerves, “Oh, I don’t believe a  _ word _ of that.” He turns again to look at the group at large, his face beaming. “I am so glad you’re all here. We get to play so many fun games now!” 

“Oikawa,” Kageyama’s voice makes several heads turn, Hinata tries to shake his head, tries to get him to stop, “Don’t do this. Please. Let us go. It’s been so many years.” 

Oikawa steps to Kageyama’s side and kneels down by him like he had Nishinoya, “But… Tobio, don’t you know you’re the star of all of this?” Oikawa reaches up and grabs Kageyama’s chin, turning his face to look at it from different angles. He hums and then leans in to whisper something in Kageyama’s ear. Oikawa pulls back and stands, leaving a horrified look on Kageyama’s face. He bounds over to the stairs and stops, his hand on the railing. 

“Alright, gentlemen! I’m off. See you wingless crows later!” 

By now Hinata expects the resounding silence that follows Oikawa exiting the room. Everyone waits, with bated breath, listening for the click of the door. 

Tanaka speaks first, “Noya? Hinata? Are you alright?” 

Hinata watches Nishinoya struggle to pull himself up off the floor, groaning as he does so. 

“I’m- I’m alright,” Hinata says softly. He rolls onto his back and lays there for a minute, not wanting to sit up just yet. Parts of his body are still trembling from the shock and he struggles to uncurl his fists. Hinata closes his eyes and breathes, trying to get his muscles to relax. It feels like he’s just run a hundred kilometers. 

Hinata finally pulls himself up, huffing out a breath as he does so. He sees that Nishinoya has already sat up and Narita who is right beside him is gently touching his arm.

Nishinoya gently shrugs off Narita’s touch and asks, “Have you tried screaming?” 

“Yes. We’re in the middle of nowhere. No one is close enough to hear us.” Tsukishima’s snark is familiar and normal. Hinata is almost glad to hear his cynicism. Nishinoya isn’t finished though. 

“Have you tried to fight-” Nishinoya starts.

Sugawara’s soft voice cuts through his question, “We don’t want someone else to get hurt, Noya. Look what happened.”

“But-” Nishinoya pushes again. 

“Maybe if we just do what he wants, he’ll eventually let us go. He finally has the whole team right?” Asahi tries to smile but there’s too much fear in his expression for it to be comforting. Nishinoya huffs but looks down at the ground and doesn’t ask any further questions. Hinata resigns himself to the silence that he expects to happen. 

But Kageyama’s clear voice surprises Hinata, “How long have you been down here?” His intense gaze is focused on Sugawara. Hinata looks too, waiting for Suga’s answer. 

He sighs and glances over at Daichi, “Daichi has been here the longest and he’s at five months.” A jolt goes through Hinata. That- That can’t be. That’s almost half a year!

“Holy shit…” Nishinoya mutters. 

“Oh, god,” Hinata squeaks. 

“Fuck,” Kageyama says. 

No one else speaks and Nishinoya, Hinata, and Kageyama’s shock hangs in the air like a stench. Hinata slowly lays back down, eyes wide, heart beating faster than a hummingbird. 

He forces his eyes closed and tries to calm himself down. He can’t let his fear overtake him. 

Hinata jolts awake to the sound of footsteps on the stairs. He sits up quickly, seeing exactly what he expects on everyone else’s faces. Fear. Hinata gulps when he realizes there is too much sound for it to just be one person. 

And just as he expects, both Iwaizumi and Oikawa step down from the stairs and enter the basement. Iwaizumi carries two baskets just as he did for breakfast. 

Iwaizumi stops in the center of the room, the same as this morning, but Oikawa keeps moving. He disappears into the door at the other end of the room. 

As Iwaizumi starts moving around the room, beginning with his routine, Oikawa returns with a chair. He places it in the center of the room, blocking Hinata’s view of Kageyama. 

Hinata grits his teeth, not happy with that. Oikawa doesn’t do anything as Iwaizumi continues. He just swivels his head, following Iwaizumi with his eyes. There’s not a smile on Oikawa’s face and Hinata can’t decide if that’s more unsettling. 

Once Iwaizumi actually starts handing out bento boxes, Oikawa sits on his chair. He sits backward, putting his hands on the back of the chair, and resting his chin on top of his hands. Even like that he still follows Iwaizumi with his eyes and it gives Hinata the creeps. 

“Boys,” Oikawa says with a lilt in his tone, “you’re all the bane of my existence and I just cannot wait to start my plan. Oh, I have so many ideas. We’re going to play some games together. We’ll have some fun… and then the balance will be restored.” Oikawa sighs happily. Hinata glances around him, glad to find his friends just as confused and worried. 

But Oikawa isn’t done, he sits up, clapping his hands together, “I think the first game we’ll play will involve everyone. Group games will be harder but I think it’ll be fun to start off with everyone participating! We’ll do ‘never have I ever.’ That’ll be easy because you’ll all have a hand ready! So, after they’re finished, Iwa-chan, we’ll start, okay?” 

Iwaizumi mutters his agreement and steps in front of Nishinoya. 

“Here’s what going to happen,” Iwaizumi says softly, but in a room where the only sounds are the gently clicking of chopsticks and soft chewing, his voice carries, “I’m going to unlock just  _ one _ of your hands, then I’ll give you a bento box full of food. Once you’re done eating I’ll take you to the bathroom,” Iwaizumi gestures vaguely toward the door, “and once you’re done you’re right back here.” 

Nishinoya huffs, “I need to go now.” Iwaizumi sighs as if this is the most inconvenient thing. But he kneels down and unlocks one of Noya’s hands. Iwaizumi stands and pulls Noya up with him. He keeps his grip on his arm as they start to move down the room. 

Several things happen in quick succession. First, Oikawa turns his head to look at Nishinoya as he passes. Then Noya swiftly twists his arm out of Iwaizumi’s grip. And finally, Nishinoya lunges at Oikawa, yelling as he tackles him out of the chair. 

Hinata yelps in fear and jerks back as best he can. Oikawa’s skull nearly clips Hinata’s knee. Several people all at once are shouting. Some of the guys are yelling for Nishinoya to stop. Iwaizumi curses. Oikawa is shouting Iwaizumi’s name. 

Then Iwaizumi is yanking on Nishinoya’s collar and pulling him off of Oikawa. Nishinoya grunts as Iwaizumi manhandles him, yanking him around by his collar. 

Oikawa wipes at his slightly bloodied mouth and stands, once again blocking Hianta’s view. 

“Apparently,” Oikawa spits, with all joy gone from his voice, “your first lesson wasn’t enough. Let’s do  _ another _ shall we?”

“Oikawa-” Iwaizumi starts. Oikawa raises a hand and that shuts Iwaizumi up. 

“I’m getting the bat, Iwa-chan.” And Oikawa spins on his heel, moving quickly to the stairs. Hinata’s eyes connect with Nishinoya’s. There’s fear there. Fear that wasn’t there before. And, if Hinata is correct, regret. 

Again, Iwaizumi yanks Nishinoya up and pulls him to the bathroom without much more fuss. Hinata expects another silence. 

But Asahi speaks, his voice wobbling, “What has he done? Someone is going to get hurt.” When Hinata looks he’s shocked to find tears in Asahi’s eyes. 

No one seems sure what to do in the quiet that follows. Hinata tries to eat more but his stomach is beginning to twist. He’s not so sure that he’s hungry anymore. 

With a little grunting and huffing, Nishinoya and Iwaizumi return. Iwaizumi’s grip has not loosened apparently. He shoves Nishinoya, causing him to stumble and land on his futon. 

Iwaizumi turns and disappears back through the door. Hinata and several others turn to look at Nishinoya who is lifting himself up again. 

“I’m fine,” Nishinoya huffs. 

Iwaizumi returns, arm full. He bends down slightly and drops the things in his arms in front of Ennoshita. There’s a first aid kit, several bandages, and a couple of other things. 

“You’ll need these,” Iwaizumi says to Ennoshita. To Hinata’s surprise, Ennoshita turns and glares down at Nishinoya. Hinata hears Nishinoya huff out an annoyed breath. But before anything can happen Oikawa is coming down the stairs. 

He enters the basement looking much happier than he had left. He has a bat in his hand. He twirls it around as he moves further into the room. He raises the bat, pointing with it, and he spins around in a circle. 

“I’ll choose…” Oikawa stops, the bat pointing at Tadashi, “you!” 

Hinata turns to look at Tadashi. All color has drained from his face and his eyes are wide. 

Oikawa has turned back to Nishinoya, “Well, Nishinoya, I hope you learn your lesson this time. This poor guy is getting hurt because of  _ you.” _ Iwaizumi has moved to Tadashi and is unlocking his other hand. Tadashi shakes his head fervently, his breathing speeding up, and his whole body trembling.. 

“No, please. Don’t hurt me. Please-” Tadashi grunts as Iwaizumi grabs him and drags him over to where Nishinoya sits. Tadashi struggles against Iwaizumi’s hold, thrashing. Iwaizumi shoves Tadashi to the ground, pressing him down with a foot on his chest, and looks at Nishinoya. 

“Hold him down,” Iwaizumi commands. Nishinoya doesn’t move. Iwaizumi leans in close, keeping his foot on Tadashi, “Hold him down or he could get more than one thing hurt.” Noya scrambles to move closer to Tadashi. He grabs on to Tadashi’s right arm. 

Hinata can see Nishinoya’s lips moving but he can’t hear what he’s saying. Tadashi is shaking his head, whimpering. 

“What do you think, Iwa-chan? Leg or arm?” Oikawa asks, surveying Tadashi. Iwaizumi sighs, crossing his arms. 

“Arm. I don’t want to have to carry him everywhere.” 

Tadashi starts to struggle again, “No! Please! Don’t hurt me! Please! No, no, no!” Iwaizumi ignores him and steps to the other side of Tadashi. He grabs Tadashi’s free arm and pins it down by the wrist. He places his foot over Tadashi’s palm and Tadashi cries out in pain. Iwaizumi stands, one foot on Tadashi’s hand, and gestures for Oikawa. 

Oikawa moves into place and Tadashi really starts kicking up a fuss. Nishinoya moves, laying his chest over Tadashi’s torso, still holding his arm. He’s still talking, Hinata still can’t hear what he’s saying over Tadashi’s shouts of terror. 

Oikawa brings the bat up over his head and swings down. The following sound is one that will stay with Hinata forever. But then Tadashi screams in pain, thrashing on the ground. 

“Hmm,” Oikawa says thoughtfully, “maybe once more to be sure?” 

Hinata watches as Iwaizumi nodes sagely, his face is impassive as ever. Tadashi is blubbering now, begging and crying. Oikawa doesn’t seem to hear him. He brings the bat over his head again. Hinata sucks in a breath, his forehead creasing. Oikawa swings down and it feels like everyone in the basement winces at the resounding crack. 

Oikawa turns his head, looking at Nishinoya, “Learned your lesson yet?” 

Noya looks up, face shining with tears, “Y-yes. I’m sorry.” He pulls away from Tadashi who has stopped moving. He lays there sobbing softly as Oikawa walks over to the stairs. 

“Get them ready for the game, Iwa-chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come yell at me on tumblr [@ira-fae](https://ira-fae.tumblr.com/)  
> come yell at me on twitter [@ira-fae](https://twitter.com/ira_fae_)


	4. Your Silence is my Favorite Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everyone settled Oikawa is ready to play a game.

Iwaizumi doesn’t waste any time. He moves over to Ennoshita and unlocks his other hand. Ennoshita stands and crosses to Tadashi’s side, bringing with him the supplies Iwaizumi had given him. 

“This isn’t going to feel good, Tadashi. And… I’m very sorry about that.” Ennoshita gets to work, his hands moving deftly. Hinata doesn’t watch that, though. He keeps his eyes trained on Nishinoya. 

Guilt is painted on his face as he watches Tadashi and Ennoshita. Tadashi cries out and Nishinoya flinches, turning a vaguely green color. 

“I’m sorry,” Nishinoya whispers, “I’m sorry.”

Iwaizumi turns and glares at Nishinoya who scrambles further back, his whole body shaking. Ennoshita stands and turns to Iwaizumi, holding out one of his hands. Without speaking Iwaizumi locks Ennoshita’s hand back up and steps to the side, letting him pass. Ennoshita watches, looking incredibly concerned, as Iwaizumi squats down next to Tadashi. 

“Please, don’t lock his broken arm. It would be at a bad angle…” Ennoshita hasn’t sat down yet and Hinata has a feeling he won’t until he’s satisfied that Iwaizumi won’t hurt Tadashi any further. 

Iwaizumi doesn’t speak, doesn’t turn to look at Ennoshita, doesn’t even move. He just sighs quietly. There’s a tense moment of nothing and then Iwaizumi is picking up Tadashi’s uninjured arm and cuffing it. Then he picks Tadashi up, one arm under his neck, the other under his knees. Tadashi whimpers with every movement that Iwaizumi makes, hissing in pain as Iwaizumi lays him down on his futon. 

Iwaizumi turns away and Hinata immediately moves to Tadashi’s side, touching his uninjured left arm gently. 

“I’m sorry, Tadashi,” Hinata whispers. Tadashi just shakes his head softly. 

Hinata closes his bento box and pushes it away, unable to eat anymore. He has a feeling he’s not the only one who’s not hungry after that. Hinata mechanically goes through the motions, letting Iwaizumi pull him to the bathroom, and sitting in shocked silence when it’s not his turn. 

He didn’t realize Oikawa was capable of such… violence. He knew what they had told him. But hearing that Oikawa broke someone’s fingers is so different than seeing him swing a bat down onto someone’s arm with such glee in his eyes. Hinata’s not sure there’s anything they can do. 

Oikawa returns, looking much more casual and relaxed. He wears glasses now, the lenses flashing against the low light of the basement. That too wide smile is back on his face and Nishinoya flinches as Oikawa passes. 

“Ready to play?” Oikawa asks, but he’s not looking at any of them, he’s looking at Iwaizumi, who just nods and moves to lean against the door to the bathroom. Oikawa claps his hands together. 

“Yay!” He chirps, “Alright, we’re playing ‘never have I ever’ boys. Do we know how to play or shall I explain?” There’s a resounding silence as Oikawa starts to make a slow circle around the room, “I’ll take that as I should explain. You’ll all start with five fingers up. The goal of the game is to get other people’s fingers to go down. When it’s your turn you say, ‘Never have I ever’ and then something you haven’t done. Hopefully, if you all know your teammates well enough, you can get them to put their fingers down. Because if you’ve done what the person says, you have to put your finger down! Make sense?” 

“How do you determine a winner,” Sugawara asks softly. Hinata looks down the room find Suga looking down at the floor. Oikawa moves closer to him. 

“Well, Sugawara… We’re not playing to get a winner, we’re playing to get the first loser. The first person who puts all their fingers down loses.” Oikawa puts his hands behind his back and bends down at the waist, getting closer to Suga, “Does that make sense?” 

“Y-yes.” 

Oikawa stands, turning back to the room, “Alright! If there are no more questions, we’ll start!” He waits, glancing around the room to assure no one has any questions and then he turns to Kinoshita, “You get to start! You’ll go first, so think of something good!” 

Kinoshita’s eyes go wide and he glances around the room as if looking for help. He gulps. 

Oikawa spins on his heel turning to the room at large, “Alright, everyone. Let’s see those hands! Five fingers up,” he flicks his eyes to Asahi, “Use your right hand, won’t you Asa-chan?” Asahi clenches his jaw but nods, lifting his right hand to show that it’s already unlocked. Oikawa turns back to Kinoshita, “Whenever you’re ready!” 

Hinata can feel the fear radiating off of Kinoshita. He understands, being under Oikawa’s gaze after what they all just witnessed must be gut-wrenchingly terrifying. 

“Uh…” Kinoshita’s voice shakes as he lifts his hand and licks his lips. Hinata can tell he’s stalling, “N-never have I ever, um…” 

Oikawa tilts his head, “You can do it.” 

Kinoshita turns his head away from Oikawa, flinching under his gaze, “N-never have I ever had an office job.” 

“Oh, a good one,” Oikawa praises, turning to look at the rest of the room, “Who put a finger down?” Hinata looks too, seeing Narita, Asahi, and Tadashi all holding four fingers up. “Mm, next, Asa-chan.” 

Asahi lets out a shaky breath and Hinata can empathize with him, he’ll be after Asahi. “Never had I ever had to wear glasses.” 

Tuskishima scoffs on the other side of the room and the noise makes Oikawa giggle. Asahi whimpers, mouthing something to Tsukishima. 

“Now you, chibi-chan!” Hinata fully understands why everyone shrinks under Oikawa’s gaze. It’s so heavy and full of so many emotions. It makes Hinata’s skin crawl. 

He looks away from Oikawa and unintentionally his eyes land on Nishinoya. He’s looking at the ground, five fingers still up. It makes Hinata angry that Tadashi has already had to put down a finger and Nishinoya hasn’t. 

“Never have I ever left the country.” Hinata spits. Nishinoya looks up, his eyes wide. Oikawa gasps. 

“Oh, my. That’s quite a lot of venom, there, Small fry.” Oikawa laughs again and steps past Hinata, stopping in front of Tadashi who has sat up and is bent over, breath shaky. 

“Never have I ever worked with someone I hate,” Tadashi says softly, his voice cracking. 

“That’s another good one. Who put their fingers down?” Oikawa asks, spinning to look at the room, “Narita, Daichi… Oh, Tobio-chan that doesn’t surprise me. Alright, up next, Tanaka. Your go.” 

Tanaka is glaring up at Oikawa again, his face contorted. Hinata can practically feel his anger radiating off of him. 

“Never have I ever committed a crime.” 

Oikawa scoffs and rolls his eyes, “Oh, sure.” He turns to the rest of the room, “Any of you? No? Does no one want to admit to it? I don’t believe  _ any _ of you. You’re all putting down a finger. All of you, even you Tanaka.” Oikawa raises his hands and points at one of his fingers as if showing Tanaka how to lower it. 

“Oikawa,” Iwaizumi says softly. Oikawa turns and Hinata sees Iwaizumi pointing at something, Oikawa sees it too apparently. 

“Oh no. Narita! You only have two fingers left!” Oikawa sounds way too happy for his words to be sincere. He practically skips to Sugawara, clapping his hands. “Your turn!”

“Never have I ever looked through someone’s phone without their permission,” Suga says. Hinata hears Kageyama sigh and turns to see him lowering a finger. Hinata can’t even process that. There’s too much else going on right now to even begin thinking about having  _ that _ conversation. Kageyama just subtly shakes his head and Hinata interprets that as ‘it wasn’t you.’ 

“Have you thought of one, Daichi?” 

Daichi nods, sighing, “Never have I ever said I love you when I didn’t mean it.” Oikawa gasps, his hands rising to his chest. 

“What a romantic you are!” He turns to look at the room, “Ennoshita! You put down a finger! What a heartbreaker!” 

“More two’s,” Iwaizumi’s gruff voice cuts through the room and Hinata glances around at all the terrified people holding up two fingers. 

“Oh, the tension,” Oikawa says, turning to Tsukishima, “Your turn!” 

Tsukki’s response is almost immediate, “Never had I ever had a broken bone.” Hinata’s eyes widen and he immediately looks over at Tadashi whose shoulders are shaking, breath rattling through his chest. 

“Now, who put down a finger? Asa-chan of course, you’re welcome. And Tadashi too! Wow, several of you! Kinoshita, Tanaka, Suga! Oh, and of course chibi-chan! That doesn’t surprise me one bit! Clumsy!” 

Oikawa turns to Ennoshita who looks angrier than Hinata has ever seen him. “Never have I ever gone on a solo vacation,” the venom in his voice isn’t directed at Oikawa, though Ennoshita looks directly at him. 

Oikawa turns to look at Nishinoya who lowers another finger, sadness clear on his face. Oikawa hums, delight clear in his tone. He doesn’t even turn to look at Kageyama as he speaks to him. 

“Your turn, Tobio!” 

Kageyama huffs a sharp breath out of his nose before saying, “Never have I ever hated my job.” Hinata’s eyes sweep the room and he watches Narita, Kinoshita, and Daichi all lower a finger. Oikawa also looks around the room, taking in the sight with a smug grin.

“Oh, Narita! You only have one finger left! Well, it’s your turn. You can get them all back for knocking you down to one so quickly!” He claps his hands together as Narita looks up at him miserably. 

“Uhm,” He looks around the room with a forlorn look on his face, “I’m sorry… Never have I ever played volleyball professionally.” Hinata nods his head, understanding that Narita is just playing Oikawa’s twisted game. He lowers a finger and knows that Kageyama and Tsukishima are doing the same. 

“And now the black sheep, do you have yours ready?” 

Nishinoya snarls at Oikawa but says, “Never have I ever passed out.”

“Fuck!” Narita cries out, his eyes going wide at his exclamation. All eyes in the room snap to him. He slaps his hand over his mouth, looking around in fear, his eyes landing on Oikawa. 

“Oh, my… Narita did you lose?” Oikawa asks, his tone patronizing. Narita shakes his head eyes filling with tears. 

“Now, now, don’t lie to me, Narita. It’s unbecoming.” 

“He lost,” Iwaizumi says, his voice low and gruff. Narita makes a muffled noise under his hand and Hinata has to literally bite his tongue to keep himself quiet. 

“Oh, how fun! Well, Narita, your punishment for being the first loser… You lose your next meal! And no one can share food with you because Iwaizumi will be watching closely! Yay! This was so fun, you guys! Alright, Iwa-chan, let’s go.” The two of them grab their things and head out of the basement quickly, leaving behind that deafening silence again. 

Movement in the corner of his eye catches his attention and Hinata turns his head slightly to watch Tadashi laying down with soft grunts of pain. Hinata fills with rage again and turns to glare at Nishinoya. 

There are only a few truly silent moments and then Nishinoya is opening his mouth again. No one responds, ignoring his attempts to start a conversation. His halfhearted jokes, his comments about the game, his specific remarks to a handful of them. When he gets no responses he goes quiet and Hinata thinks Nishinoya has given up. 

But then, “Listen,” he says softly, “I’m sorry. I am. I should’ve listened to you guys. You told me what would happen if I opened my mouth and caused trouble but I did it anyway and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry I got Tadashi hurt, I’m sorry I got Hinata shocked. I’m sorry. Hinata, I’m so sorry. Tadashi, I’m so sorry.” 

There’s a pregnant pause as everyone soaks in Nishinoya’s words. Then Tadashi sighs softly.

“I forgive you, Noya. We can’t all be mad at each other if we want to survive.” 

Hinata watches Nishinoya sag with relief and there is a noticeable release of tension in the room. Hinata mulls the situation over, thinking to himself. Tadashi is right, they have to work together. 

“Thank you, Tadashi,” Noya says softly. He sucks in a breath and speaks in a brighter tone, “So, what do you all do to pass time in this hell hole?” Hinata can tell that his smile is fake, but he honestly does appreciate Nishinoya trying to lighten the mood and cheer everyone up.

Tanaka responds, “Tell stories mostly. We’ve been doing a lot of catching up without you, Yū.”

Nishinoya huffs out a strained laugh, “Starting the party without me as usual, Ryū?” Tanaka snorts. He opens his mouth to respond, his expression is brighter than Hinata has seen it down here. But there’s a pause and his face just drops. He huffs out a noise that sounds like a strangled sigh. 

And just like that Hinata can feel the tension creeping back in. 

Nishinoya clears his throat, “Well, let’’s hear some of these stories… Anyone want to tell me how Iwaizumi managed to drag them into this shithole?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hinata went to brazil? what are you talking about? i can’t hear you. what’s brazil?
> 
> come yell at me on tumblr [@ira-fae](https://ira-fae.tumblr.com/)  
> come yell at me on twitter [@ira-fae](https://twitter.com/ira_fae_)


	5. The Kingdom Locked Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stories are told, an argument is had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to do something a little different for this chapter, so... i hope you enjoy

Hinata isn’t so sure that this is a good idea. The story of how everyone was taken from their normal lives, yanked from happy existence. Tanaka huffs sadly. He scoots forward, pushing closer to the center of the room. He rubs one hand over his head, brushing over his hair that hasn’t changed since high school. It sobers Hinata to see the stress and worry creasing Tanaka’s face contrasting with the hairstyle that comes straight from his high school days. 

“I… Well, you guys know I’m a personal trainer,” there are some soft hums of agreement~

_ Tanaka groans as he stretches out his shoulders, trying to loosen some of the stiffness that has settled into his bones. He moves over to the weights rack and runs his fingers across the numbers pressed into the weights, making sure the numbers are all facing up. Satisfied everything is in order, Tanaka makes his way out of the room, grabbing his bag on the way, closing and locking the door. The gym is quiet as he makes his way to the front. It seems everyone else has gone home. Tanaka feels bad for holding his coworker up.  _

_ Ida-kun is leaning against the front counter, looking at his phone, when Tanaka walks up. Even though they’ve been working together for a while now it still shocks Tanaka how much Ida reminds him of Noya. They’re about the same height and Ida-kun has the same easy confidence that Noya carries himself with.  _

_ “Sorry for making you wait, Ida-kun,” Tanaka says ruefully. He adjusts his gym bag, settling the strap into a more comfortable position. Ida looks up, grinning lopsidedly.  _

_ “Ah, I’m fine, Tanaka-san. It’s your wife you should really be apologizing to,” Ida jokes, elbowing Tanaka’s arm. He rolls his eyes, laughing, pretending to himself that just the  _ mention  _ of Shimizu doesn’t make him blush to the tips of his ears.  _

_ “It’s funny that you think she’s home before me,” Tanaka says as they make their way out of the gym, “I’m lucky if I’m awake when she comes home.” Ida whistles. _

_ “Damn, they must really run her ragged. Give Kiyoko-san my condolences.”  _

_ Tanaka chuckles, shaking his head, “She loves her job. She’s working this hard because she wants to be promoted.” Ida nods as he locks the door of the gym. He turns to Tanaka with a toothy grin that makes him miss Nishinoya.  _

_ “Well, this is where we part. You get home safe, okay?”  _

_ Tanaka nods, grinning back, “You too. See you tomorrow.” Ida waves and turns, walking toward the train. Tanaka grins to himself and turns the other way. It’s only a couple of blocks to his and Shimizu’s apartment. He wants to get home and cook a nice dinner for her. He knows Thursdays are hard days for her.  _

_ He pops his knuckles and then shifts his gym bag again. Suddenly someone grabs him from behind. Tanaka jabs an elbow backward and it connects with soft flesh. His attacker grunts. Then there’s someone else, grabbing his arms and he can’t get free.  _

_ Someone steps in front of him, a tall guy with movie star style hair. It takes a second for Tanaka to realize that this guy is Oikawa, that setter from Aoba Johsai.  _

_ “I’ve been wanting to do this for so long,” Oikawa says. Tanaka is about to respond but Oikawa’s fist connects with his cheek and Tanaka shouts out in pain.  _

_ “Okay, I’m done,” Oikawa chirps happily. There’s a grunt from behind Tanaka and then suddenly there’s something being pressed over his face. He struggles even harder, shouting from behind the cloth held over his mouth and nose~ _

“I woke up in the trunk of a car, hogtied, with duct tape over my mouth.” Tanaka shakes his head, chuckling. The laugh sounds more like strangled sobs. 

“Holy shit, Ryū,” Nishinoya shakes his head and glares up at the ceiling. There’s a scoff. 

“At least you remember your story,” Kinoshita says, “I was working in the train yard. It was a late shift. Probably two A.M. That’s all I remember. I woke up here.” 

“I was taken from work too,” Asahi says. He looks down at his hands, frowning, “I- I had just left our building, I was on my way to a meeting.” Asahi sniffles~

_ Asahi waves at the security guard at the front desk with a smile. He adjusts his bag and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He opens up his email app as he walks out the door. He glances up to see a sleek, shiny black car. The driver stands by the back door, waiting for him. Asahi makes his way over to the car as the driver pulls open the door.  _

_ “Azumane-san,” the driver says as he tilts his cap at Asahi. He slides into the back seat, setting his bag beside him.  _

_ “Thank you,” Asahi says, smiling. The driver just nods and gently closes his door. He buckles himself in and focuses back on his emails. After he’s sorted through them and made sure none of them require immediate attention he closes the app down. He opens up his plans, refamiliarizing himself with them so that they are fresh in his mind for this meeting.  _

_ Asahi is excited, this will be the second meeting with this pop star. She and her team seem very interested in Asahi’s designs. If all goes well this will be a huge opportunity for Asahi and the entire company. He’s incredibly excited. The pop star is much sweeter than Asahi thought she would be. He had wrongly assumed she would be arrogant, but she is far from that. Her countenance is cheery and shy.  _

_ Asahi loved their first meeting because her eyes sparkled when he pulled out fabric swatches. It was almost magical.  _

_ He locks his phone and slides it into his bag, satisfied with his studies. He looks out the window, watching Tokyo slide by, shops and people twinkling as they go. Asahi never really took any notice of riding around in cars until he got to Tokyo. It’s a wonderful experience to watch the scenery flit by as he travels to his destination.  _

_ The scenery starts to change, buildings shrinking, exteriors getting darker and a little more dismal. He scrunches his nose, sure this isn’t the way. Perhaps this driver is new, Asahi is sure he hasn’t had him before. Or perhaps the driver is taking an alternate route because of a traffic delay.  _

_ Asahi doesn’t start to panic until the vehicle starts to leave the city altogether.  _

_ “Excuse me,” he says politely, managing to keep his voice calm, “I believe we make have taken a wrong turn.” The driver keeps his eyes on the road, his hands tight on the steering wheel. “Excuse me,” Asahi repeats.  _

_ “We have not made a wrong turn,” the driver states gruffly, “I know where I’m going.”  _

_ Asahi pulls back. He’s never had an interaction like this with a driver before. He quietly pulls his phone back out and shoots a quick message to his assistant, letting her know that he is unhappy with his current driver.  _

_ Not a minute later he is receiving a call from her.  _

_ “Don’t answer that,” the driver says, his eyes glancing at Asahi through the rearview mirror.  _

_ “Uh-” _

_ “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll hang that up and pass your phone up here.” There is some shuffling and then the driver puts his arm on the center console, a gun in his hand. Asahi begins to shake.  _

_ He clicks the ‘deny call’ button, his mind, and heart racing. Rapidly a few texts come through from his assistant.  _

_ ‘Your driver is still here!’ _

_ ‘That isn’t your driver!’ _

_ ‘Azumane-san, where are you?’ _

_ “Phone, now,” the driver snaps. Asahi practically tosses the device to the front of the car, his heart feeling like it is moments from bursting. The car rolls to a stop under a bridge. There’s another car and for a moment Asahi thinks he’s saved. But then he sees the man leaning against the vehicle also has a weapon. He strolls easily over to the car and taps the driver’s window with the end of his gun. The driver rolls down the window.  _

_ “Well, Iwa-chan?” asks a terribly familiar voice. Asahi’s blood runs cold when he realizes that he recognizes the two men.  _

_ “He’s in the back,” Iwaizumi turns around, still holding that gun in his hand, “Do as Oikawa says and no one gets hurt.” Asahi nods frantically, resisting the urge to raise his hands in surrender. His door clicks open and Oikawa stands there with a wide smile on his face, a stark contrast when Asahi sees that the gun Oikawa holds is pointed straight at his face.  _

_ “Come now, Asahi-san. Out of the car. We have places to get to! I have to take you to your friend.”  _

_ Asahi manages to stumble out of the car, his entire body shaking. Suddenly, Iwaizumi is there, wrapping a blindfold around his face and clicking what Asahi can only guess is handcuffs to his wrists. He is pushed and shoved into the other car and then the vehicle starts moving.  _

“I… I was awake the whole time. It felt like years, riding in the car with the two of them. Oikawa kept talking the whole time and… Iwaizumi just, he would just grunt in response.” Asahi finishes his story and there’s a beat of silence. 

“I got here next. I was after Asahi,” Suga offers what Hinata can only describe as an attempt at a sympathetic smile toward Asahi~

_ Koushi rests one hand on the wall as he taps the toe of his shoe against the floor, more comfortably settling his foot. He quickly switches the other shoe and is on his way. He hadn’t intended to stay as late as he had when the school day ended.  _

_ He had denied requests from Sato-senpai to go out with other teachers. He had work to do, he told Sato-senpai, papers to grade. Sato had only accepted the denial when Koushi promised to go out next time. He outlasted other teachers who also stayed late to do more work. He really did lose track of time. His stomach growling angrily at him was what got him to finally leave.  _

_ Koushi’s stomach growls even now as he steps outside of the school building. He scoffs at himself as he starts walking toward his apartment. He really should be better about this. It’s not a healthy way to live, to stay late at work all the time, eating dinner late.  _

_ He can almost hear his mother in his head, scolding him for being so irresponsible. Koushi grins as he thinks of her. He should really pay her a visit soon.  _

_ His stomach interrupts that thought with another grumble of hunger. He’s only a few blocks from his building. He has leftovers from last night to eat, so it’ll only take a few minutes to warm up.  _

_ Koushi is still glad he got an apartment within walking distance to the school. Though walking in the winter can get a bit chilly, he is used to it, and he likes the exercise.  _

_ All thoughts are interrupted as he is tugged into an ally. ‘Oh’, his mind helpfully supplies, ‘I am being mugged.’ He barely has time to think anything more than that before there is a hand on his face, covering his mouth and pinching his nose. To make things worse, the attacker puts their other arm around his neck. He tries to struggle but the lack of oxygen is quickly getting to him. Black spots begin to form in his vision and he eventually slumps against the person who is gripping him.  _

“I… I was at work too,” Narita says into the tense silence that follows the end of Suga’s story.

“I’m sensing a pattern here,” Nishinoya says ironically. Narita scoffs in agreement

“He pretended- sorry, Iwaizumi… He pretended to be a client- He called requesting to look at one of the houses we’d had for a while. He was there before I was. I didn’t even have time to introduce myself before he knocked me out. I had a nasty headache when I woke up here.” 

“Wait, what order… Like, who was here first? What order were you all brought here?” Nishinoya asks, his eyes full of curiosity. 

Sugawara clears his throat, “First was Daichi. Then Asahi, me, Tanaka, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, Narita… Then Tadashi, Tsukishimia. Kageyama and Hinata pretty much arrived at the same time. Then you…”

Nishinoya clears his throat and nods, “I… I see.” There’s an awkward pause. 

“I had just gotten home from training. I’d stopped on my way to the apartment to grab some groceries. I… I was literally about to put my key in the door when he grabbed me. Oikawa was the one who grabbed me. He put a rag over my face… I think he chloroformed me,” Kageyama glares up at the ceiling, “I just remember him looking so… so smug.” 

“I was about to go out looking for you,” Hinata says softly, realizing he has yet to tell Kageyama how he was grabbed. Kagayema looks pained at this revelation, “I was so worried something had happened. I took one step out of the apartment, directly onto your keys. Then everything went black.” 

“Oh, Sho…” 

“I was leaving work,” Tadashi says, still on his back, “just like Suga-san.” Hinata turns to look at him. 

_ Tadashi yawns as he steps out of the building. He looks at his watch and groans to himself when he realizes he’s missed the last train. He looks around, hoping for a taxi, but he knows he’s fooling himself. He’s going to have to walk home.  _

_ He pulls his arms in tighter around himself, shivering against the cold. As he makes his way away from his job he scolds himself again for staying so late.  _

_ Tadashi absolutely loves his job, it’s a dream opportunity, but that isn’t going to matter if he lets himself get stabbed by some thug in the middle of the night in Tokyo. He speeds up his feet, wanting to get home sooner.  _

_ He rounds a corner and immediately pulls his arms away from his chest, trying to brace himself as he trips over something and falls forward. It’s a particularly hard crash and he groans for a moment, wallowing for just a second in the pain. He starts to stand and is surprised to see a hand offered out to him. He grabs on and the stranger lifts him. Tadashi is about to offer his thanks when the stranger tugs him closer and he feels the sharp press of a knife against his chest. There is little space between himself and his attacker, the only thing separating them is the hand holding the knife.  _

_ Tadashi sucks in a shaky breath, feeling the blade pressed against his chest with every rattle.  _

_ “If you know what’s good for you,” the stranger whispers, Tadashi cringes as he feels the breath of the man against his earlobe, “you’ll do exactly as I say.”  _

“That feeling is so distinct,” Tadashi’s restraints rattle as he gestures with his uninjured arm, “the metal just… pressing against me.” Tadashi shudders. 

“Well,” Tsukishima says with almost a sneer, “unlike the rest of you, I was at a party. Not work. I’m pretty sure they drugged my drink because I had only had a few sips when I started feeling nauseous and dizzy. I went to the bathroom and almost fell but someone held me up. That’s all I remember.” 

“So,” Hinata says, wanting to move on, “I think that’s everyone-”

“No,” Nishinoya interrupts, “we haven’t heard from Daichi or Ennoshita.” There’s a tense pause. Hinata looks down the room at Daichi who sighs heavily. 

“Oikawa had gotten into my house. He was just… sitting at my kotatsu when I got home from work. He said… some things and then he wrestled my gun from me and knocked me out.” Daichi shrugs and looks down at his hands. 

“Ennoshita,” Nishinoya asks, “do you wanna share with the class?”

Hinata shifts his gaze to look at Ennoshita and is shocked to find tears streaming down his face. He tilts his head, curious. 

Ennoshita just shakes his head, muffling what sounds like a sob with his hand. The silence stretches on from that. Nishinoya looks guilty and Hinata can sympathize. He thought this was a bad idea, all of them sharing their stories. But he didn’t think it would lead to… Well, he is still shocked that Ennoshita is crying and won’t share his story. Hinata can’t imagine what’s so terrible that he doesn’t want to tell.

But as he starts to think about it worse and worse scenarios fill his head and he is grateful for the interruption when Nishinoya starts to talk again. 

“I… I know I already said it, but I actually am really sorry,” he sighs, “I should’ve listened to you guys about Oikawa, I was just… I was angry. I am sorry.” Hinata furrows his brow, surprised at himself that his feelings have changed so quickly. Though, perhaps it should make sense after listening to everyone’s stories. 

“No… Nishinoya, I mean, yeah, you probably should apologize but… We can’t just keep doing whatever they want. Asahi and Tadashi have gotten bones broken, you’ve been electrocuted.  _ I’ve _ been electrocuted. So have other people! We can’t keep doing things,” Hinata turns to look at Daichi again, “I mean look at Daichi. He’s… He’s broken. I’m sorry to say it so bluntly but… It’s true!”

Suga snaps, “Hinata, don’t!”

Hinata huffs back, “We have to get out of here! You guys,” he turns to the room at large, “Oikawa is breaking arms, taking away people’s food. We could  _ die.” _

“Yeah, and if we do anything to make them mad we could die,” Narita says. Hinata frowns. 

“It’s just terrifying, Hinata,” Asahi whispers, “I don’t want to get hurt again.”

“But that’s my point, Asahi,” Hinata says softly, “we could get hurt even worse, to the point of death, if we don’t get out of here. There are only two of them. There are  _ twelve  _ of us!” 

Tsukishima snorts, “Eleven. There aren’t twelve of us with Yamaguchi out of commission.” Hinata is ready to snap at Tsukishima, ready to berate him for being so rude to Tadashi, but Kageyama speaks, not giving him the chance. 

“Hinata is right,” determination pours out with each word, “We are going to die if we don’t get out. When we first got here… Oikawa, he told me that- that he was going to save me for last. That I would be the last to die.” 

There are several gasps and terrified chatter starts among the group. Hinata’s eyes go wide as he watches the group dissolve into quiet chaos. 

“Guys!” They all turn to look at him, “We need a plan.” Nishinoya clears his throat and Hinata turns to see a smirk on his face. 

“I’ve got an idea…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one chapter to go omfaskdjgha;sdkj


	6. Balancing the Scales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does one go about balancing the scales?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh, im so glad this is finally over, this has been in the making for almost a year! i hope you all enjoyed it!

Hinata feels the way he always feels before a match. Unreasonably terrified. Nishinoya’s idea isn’t far off of what Hinata tried when he first arrived and they’ve hammered out the details into a full-fledged plan. 

But that was hours ago. Hinata feels as if his nerves have been rubbed raw. He’s laying on his futon,  _ worrying.  _ He can’t help it. It’s terrifying. Everyone else is asleep, he can hear their soft breaths. 

Hinata flinches as he hears what sounds like a door click open. He goes rigidly still and holds his breath, just listening. There is silence for a moment but he doesn’t relax just yet. His fears are confirmed when he hears the softest of footsteps coming down the stairs. He doesn’t want to be caught awake so he stays stock still. 

Out of the corner of his eye and in the dim light of the stairwell he seeks Oikawa creeps down the stairs and into the basement. He eyes the room for a moment, not leaving the bottom of the stairs 

Hinata watches, frozen in terror as Oikawa steps into the room and begins to step lightly, slowly creeping forward. Hinata’s pillow puts his head at an angle just high enough for him to have a view of Oikawa’s movements. 

What in the world could he be doing down here at this time of night? Hinata bites his tongue and his eyes go wide as Oikawa stops in front of Kageyama’s futon. 

Oikawa takes another look around the room before kneeling down next to Kageyama. There is quiet for a moment. But, then Hinata hears murmuring. He lifts his head ever so slightly to see what’s going on. 

He sees Oikawa leaned over Kageyama, whispering in the dark room. It’s one of the strangest things he’s ever seen. Oikawa moves one hand and gently strokes Tobio’s hair. 

Hinata quickly puts his head back on the pillow as Oikawa turns to look at him. He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping, praying Oikawa didn’t see him. There is silence again for a moment and then he hears those soft footsteps. There is a nudge on his arm. Hinata keeps his eyes closed, his breathing even, hoping that he looks asleep. 

In a cold, dark room somewhere, Hinata Shōyō, wakes for the final time in Oikawa Tooru’s basement. All around him his former teammates whisper to each other, murmuring about the plan, the future, the what if’s. Hinata sits up, eyes searching for Tobio. 

His racing heart only calms after he finds the love of his life safe and sound, talking to Nishinoya. They look serious, but nothing about Kageyama seems off. 

Perhaps Hinata had just dreamed of what happened last night. He shudders as he thinks about it. 

“Morning, Hinata,” Yamaguchi says softly. Hinata turns to look at his injured friend and offers him a smile.

“How’d you sleep?” he asks, looking pointedly at the offending arm. Yamaguchi huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. 

He says, “As well as I could.” Hinata nods in affirmation and turns back to survey the room. Everyone freezes as the basement door noisily clicks open at the top of the stairs. Iwaizumi’s heavy footfalls are the only sound that Hinata can hear over the pounding in his ears. He looks around the room and finds determined faces all around him. 

As Iwaizumi steps off the bottom step, he pauses, looking around the basement with a quirked eyebrow. Hinata clenches his teeth and holds his breath. If Iwaizumi can feel the tension already they might have a problem.

Hinata isn’t the only person who watches Iwaizumi move into the center of the room, his practice routine only disrupted by his sharp gaze sweeping the room again. 

He doesn’t say anything as he goes about the routine, unlocking hands, passing out breakfast. 

Hinata feels like he can’t breathe, hands shaking as he holds his sad breakfast bento. He tries to eat, pressing the rice into his mouth. He almost chokes as Iwaizumi moves to Asahi to take him to the bathroom. Hinata has never seen Asahi look so determined. The energy of the room shifts subtly as Asahi begins to stand. Everyone else shifts, preparing themselves for their part in the plan. 

As soon Asahi has stood up the entire room is in motion. It’s almost as if they’ve practiced. Asahi slams into Iwaizumi, pushing him to the floor and practically laying on top of him. Tanaka springs into action, throwing himself over Iwaizumi’s legs. Hinata and Nishinoya both dive forward to grab an arm and Imaizumi is effectively trapped. He grunts, trying to pull himself out from under them but they don’t let him. 

Ennoshita comes over and picks up the keys from where Iwaizumi dropped them. He makes quick work of his own restraints and hands them to Asahi who starts putting them on to Iwaizumi. 

Ennoshita makes the rounds of the room, unlocking everyone’s second hand. He comes to the people restraining Iwaizumi last and they work together to lock his arms and torso into the restraint. 

“Fuck,” Nishinoya says, tossing his restraints back onto his futon. He rubs at his wrists and Hinata can understand why. There seems to be a collective sigh of relief after Nishinoya finally breaks the tension. Hinata sees smiles all across the basement. 

“That was too easy,” Tsukishima huffs, glaring at Iwaizumi from across the room. Hinata, not for the first time in his life, wants to punch Tsukishima. Though, he can understand why Tsukishimia isn’t confident in their success. Hinata looks down at Iwaizumi and is shocked to find tears in his eyes. 

“Please,” he whispers, looking up at all of them, “I just can’t… I can’t do it anymore. You’ll kill me if you have mercy. _He_ _will_ if you don’t.” The room is stunned into silence. Hinata chews on his bottom lip, remembering what Kageyama said that Oikawa threatened. He shakes his head.

Suga breaks the silence, “Let’s get Iwaizumi into the bathroom. We should probably eat too, it’ll be important to have as much strength as we can. We don’t know how far we’ll have to go to get to civilization.” 

The room shifts into movement and Hinata makes eye contact with Kageyama who gives him a smile and a nod. He returns the gesture and moves back to his futon, picking up his bento and trying to eat more. He finds it easier to get food down now that the first part of their plan worked. 

Now, just for the second part. 

As they wait Hinata almost wants to start meditating, his nerves ratcheting higher and higher with every minute. This will be perfect. They’ll get out. They can go back to their lives. Tanaka can go back to his wife. Suga can go back to his students. Daichi… can get help. 

Ennoshita has gone around and collected all the empty (or mostly empty bento boxes, putting the baskets in a corner, away from where the action will most likely happen. People are mostly on their futons, speaking softly. Tadashi seems to  _ actually _ be meditating, laying on his futon, his breaths measured and even. 

But everything goes silent when they hear a distant, “Iwa-chan?” Hinata’s breath goes shaky and he looks around the room to find most people staring up at the ceiling. 

Daichi, on the other hand, is staring at the ceiling, face blank and eyes distant.

The basement door clicks open and everyone hurries into position. As Oikawa’s light footsteps descend the stairs Nishinoya crouches by the stairs, waiting, just hidden, for Oikawa. 

Everyone else has pressed against the opposite wall, out of sight of the bottom few steps. 

“Iwa-chan? Breakfast should be over now.” 

Oikawa only manages to start to step off the last step before Nishnoya springs into action. Caught off guard Oikawa topples, slamming into the ground under Nishinoya’s weight. For the second time everyone scrambles into action, Oikawa is locked up even faster than Iwaizumi was. The force of his head hitting the concrete floor apparently knocked him out, he lays motionless, silent as they put the restraints on him. Asahi and Tanaka drag Oikawa to the bathroom. Hinata shudders as he hears Iwaizumi yelling in protest. 

Suga starts herding everyone to the stairs, “Hurry, go, let’s go! Tadashi, you first, c’mon.” Suga follows Yamaguchi up the stairs, gesturing for everyone to follow him. Hinata looks around, heart racing as his high school teammates start filling out of the basement Asahi returns from the bathroom and starts almost pushing Daichi toward the stairs. 

Kageyama grabs Hinata’s arm and tilts his head toward the stairs, “C’mon, Sho’. Let’s go!” Hinata nods and they move toward the staircase. His legs tremble as he starts up the creaky, wooden steps. There is very little talking as they make their way up to the ground floor of the house. 

Crossing the threshold of the door to the basement almost feels like winning something. He feels like he can breathe for the first time. He is shocked to find himself in a very traditional style house, his socked feet on tatami mats. 

The group comes to an unsure stop in the room. All around Hinata are nervous faces and the room fills with a tension he can describe. 

“Let’s go!” Hinata urges, “We’re so close!”

Nishinoya echoes his sentiment, “God, I just wanna leave this house!” 

Sugawara shakes his head, a comforting hand on Yamaguchi’s shoulder, “We have no idea where we are. We need to plan.” 

“He’s right,” Ennoshita says, “We should try and find shoes at least. And maybe a phone?” 

“Some food would be good too,” Suga nods, “we might be going a far distance to get help.” 

“Not if I can find a phone,” Tanaka says. Nishinoya sighs but he and Tanaka exit the room. 

“Alright, the rest of us, let’s split up. We need shoes for everyone, food, and at least one phone.” Sugawara looks around, making sure everyone agrees. Hinata shrugs, some lingering anxiety about staying longer than needed in this house. 

They manage to split off into little groups. Hinata goes with Kageyama to see if they can find shoes for everyone. The house somehow seems empty and full at the same time. Every room has some sort of traditional decoration and screen doors. But no room seems to have a purpose. Does Oikawa even live here? 

Hinata gets lost in his train of thought as he searches and he gets separated from Kageyama. Once he realizes this he panics a little. But he forces himself to keep looking for shoes. They can leave together once the group has everything they need. 

He’s on his knees, digging through a closet that seems to be full of empty boxes when he hears a click and feels something press against the back of his skull. 

“Did you really think I wouldn’t have a key?” Oikawa asks in a sickly sweet voice, “Stand up.” Hinata’s hands shake as he pushes himself up to stand. One of Oikawa’s hands immediately grabs onto his shoulder, the grip tight and painful. 

“Alright, chibi-chan. Let’s go get your friends.” Oikawa pushes him forward, steering him out of the room, through the house to another, empty-looking room. It seems to be a central room of some sort, almost like a room to connects to every part of the house. “Now, yell for them. Get them here,  _ now, _ chibi-chan.”

Hinata swallows, “Guys!” he yells, “guys, come here! Hurry! Please!” He hopes to the gods that they come quickly. Oikawa keeps what Hinata assumes to be a gun pressed to the back of his head, his fingers still digging into Hinata’s shoulder. 

He hears some talking, footsteps approaching rapidly. Tanaka and Nishinoya are the first to arrive, their faces going from concerned to scared very quickly. Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita quickly arrive on the other side of the room. Hinata’s eyes flick around as the others start appearing from every doorway. 

Yamaguchi and Sugawara are the last to show up, Daichi trailing quietly behind them. 

“Did you think you could get away?” Oikawa asks, “Did you think I would  _ let you _ get away?!” He pulls away from Hinata and he takes the opportunity to move quickly to Kageyama’s arms. 

“I told you,” Oikawa shrieks, waving the gun in the air, “I am going to balance the scales! You  _ ruined _ my life! I have to fix it,” he turns in a circle, wide, scary eyes jumping from person to person, “You have to be here for me to fix it!” 

“Oikawa,” Sugawara says softly, he steps out of the group and toward Oikawa. He turns to Suga, one hand in his hair, tugging, with the other he raises the gun and points it at Sugawara. Daichi makes a sound like a wounded animal and Hinata turns to look at him

“No!  _ Don’t! _ I am in charge! I’m going to win! I will win!” 

Suga nods understandingly, “I get that, Oikawa. We all want to be winners. We know how you feel.” He takes another hesitant step toward Oikawa. Hinata only has eyes for Daichi, though. For the first time since he arrived in the basement Hinata sees a  _ fire _ in Daichi’s eyes, he gently, quietly steps in front of Tadashi, closer to Suga and Oikawa. He looks ready to go, like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey. 

“You don’t understand,” Oikawa is still shrieking, turning in a circle, gun aimed and whatever he is pointing at as he moves, “you all got to win! You are still going up! With- with good jobs! With  _ wives! _ I won’t have it anymore!” 

“Listen to me, Oikawa,” Suga is still managing a soft, soothing tone, “we want you to succeed, trust me.” 

Oikawa brings his hands to his face for a moment and Hinata can’t help but track the weapon in his hand. “No,” Oikawa whines, “no! Liar!” 

With Oikawa distracted well enough, Daichi breaks out of the circle, and Oikawa is tackled for the second time. Sugawara makes a shocked noise and stumbles backward. The room seems frozen in fear as Oikawa and Daichi wrestle over the gun. 

Hinata shouts in fear when there’s an incredibly  _ loud _ sound. It takes him a second to realize the gun has been fired. 

Daichi grunts and raises the gun and there’s a second gunshot ringing in Hinata’s ears and something warm splatters onto his feet.

Oikawa lays motionless on the ground, Hinata can’t bear to look at him. He looks down at the ground, his eyes finding blood spotted onto his socks. 

The room turns into chaos and everything starts to go a little fuzzy for Hinata. Sugawara is screaming. He’s screaming Daichi’s name. Hinata looks up, past his socks, past the streaks of blood, past… what remains of Oikawa, and finds Sugaawa clutching at a wound on Daichi’s chest. There’s red pouring over Suga’s hands and red dribbling out of Daichi’s mouth. 

Somehow Daichi’s mouth turns up into a weak smile and his lips move, whispering something to Suga. 

Sugawara shakes his head desperately. It’s getting hard for Hinata to get his eyes to focus. Sugawara is crying now and he’s leaned his forehead onto Daichi’s. That’s the last thing he remembers. 

~

In a loud, bustling police station in Miyagi, Hinata Shōyō sits, barefoot and shaking, on a bench. Kageyama Tobio sits next to him, one arm wrapped around Hinata’s trembling shoulders. Hinata can’t keep his eyes off of his socks. There are little splatters, varied in size and shape, all over the tops of his socks. The feeling of something hot and wet splattering at his feet keeps replaying over and over. If there were anything left in Hinata’s stomach he would be vomiting, but for now, he stifles a gag and forces his eyes closed.

Daichi is…

No, Hinata can’t think of Daichi. 

There’s some noise and Kageyama gasps beside him. Hinata cracks open his eyes to see Miyagi police officers leading someone in. It takes a moment for Hinata to realize that the bruised and bloody figure he’s seeing is Iwaizumi. 

Hinata shuts his eyes again, not wanting to see it. He doesn’t want to think about Oikawa waking up, chained up in the basement, furious. He doesn’t want to think about Oikawa beating Iwazumi senseless before coming to find him with a gun. He doesn’t want to think about Daichi wrestling with Oikawa. He doesn’t want to think about the gunshots. 

Stifling another gag, Hinata leans into Kageyama and sobs into his shoulder. 

He briefly wonders if this event has tipped the cosmic scales in any way. Did the horror that he and his friends have gone through have any sort of consequence in the scale of the universe? Or has he and the rest of his high school volleyball team suffered for nothing? 

How does one go about balancing the scales?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come yell at me on tumblr [@ira-fae](https://ira-fae.tumblr.com/)  
> come yell at me on twitter [@ira-fae](https://twitter.com/ira_fae_)

**Author's Note:**

> listen... sometimes dub oikawa just... is a little crazy
> 
> come yell at me on Tumblr [@ira-fae](https://ira-fae.tumblr.com/)


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